Obama says Senate smart to stop F-22 production, calls fighter jet program wasteful spending

Obama hails Senate vote killing F-22 production

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has hailed the Senate’s decision to stop additional production of F-22 fighter jets, saying the move will “better protect our troops.”

Obama was referring to a 58-40 vote in which the Senate on Tuesday accepted an amendment killing an additional $1.75 billion that supporters of the F-22 had tried to get into a defense spending bill.

In a statement at the White House, Obama said he rejected the notion that the country has to “waste billions of taxpayers dollars” on outdated defense projects. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the military also opposed further production of the F-22, saying it was too expensive at a time of limited budgets at the Pentagon and competing defense spending priorities.