The bill repealing the ban on gays serving openly in the military could present the Obama administration with a problem: It also contains money for projects the Pentagon considers wasteful.
The White House has threatened to veto any bill containing money for weapons programs that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is trying to eliminate as part of his campaign to tame the Pentagon budget.
As a result, President Obama could end up vetoing Congress' repeal of the ban on gays in the military, a legal change he promised to push through during his campaign for the White House.
Late Thursday night, the House passed an amendment to the Defense authorization bill repealing the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law. But it also passed an amendment providing $500 million to continue developing a second engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The House approved the entire bill, including both amendments, Friday in a vote of 229 to 186.
"Gates has made clear that killing the alternative engine is a top priority," said Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. "He is putting his foot down."
Source: LA Times | Julian E. Barnes
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