U.S. lawmakers defy W.House on 2010 defence cuts

By Andrea Shalal-Esa

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Both houses of the Democratic-controlled Congress on Thursday took action on 2010 defence spending legislation that would continue funding weapons programs targeted by President Barack Obama for cuts.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 389 to 22 to approve a $550.4 billion (336 billion pounds) defence authorization bill for fiscal 2010 that the White House says it will veto unless it drops a measure adding money for Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jets and a second engine for Lockheed's F-35 fighter.

The bill also authorizes $130 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the fiscal year that begins October 1.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said it supported the overall bill but senior advisers would urge a presidential veto unless the two provisions were dropped.

One congressional aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the White House veto threat as "a bargaining tool."

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee also approved on Thursday their version of the 2010 defence authorization bill, including $1.7 billion in funding for seven more F-22 fighters and $438.9 million to continue development of a second engine for the F-35 fighter.

Both committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin, and John McCain, the panel's top Republican, said they had opposed the continued F-22 funding, which passed on a 13 to 11 vote. They said the issue would spark considerable debate when the bill comes up for a vote in the full Senate, probably next month.

Once the Senate passes its version, House and Senate negotiators will hammer out a compromise version, but that may not happen until September, said a House committee spokesman.