Gates: Money Included For F-22 Jet A 'big Problem'

DONNA BORAK

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday a decision by House lawmakers to increase the budget to buy a dozen more of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-22s is a "big problem."

Gates said additional funding for 12 radar evading jets, built by the Bethesda, Md.-based defense contractor, goes against recommendations made by him to the president, and ultimately against the budget the president sent to Congress.

House lawmakers on Wednesday approved $369 million to continue production of the F-22. The surprise amendment, likely to reopen a debate over the necessity of the Cold War planes that cost $140 million each, was approved by the House Armed Services Committee. Republicans largely backed the measure introduced by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and were joined by a handful of Democrats in a 31-30 vote.

The extra funding was adopted as part of the 2010 Defense Department spending bill mark-up. The bill still needs to make its way through the full House and Senate.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has proposed buying 187 of the planes. But that's dozens fewer than Lockheed and its supporters in Congress had hoped for. Part of Gates' proposed $534 billion defense budget represents a shift away from Cold War-era weapon systems to futuristic programs aimed at unconventional foes.