In a rare move, the White House has threatened to veto the defense budget bill if it contains money for extra F-22s. From a letter released today (PDF):
The collective judgment of the Service Chiefs and Secretaries of the military departments suggests that a final program of record of 187 F-22s is sufficient to meet operational requirements. If the final bill presented to the President contains this provision, the President’s senior advisors would recommend a veto.
(h/t: Travis Sharp)
Obama hasn’t waved his veto pen around much yet. Before taking office, he vowed to veto any bill that would prevent him from releasing the second half of the bailout funds. But otherwise he’s been circumspect about deploying the ‘v’ word, even on his top policy priorities. He hasn’t, for instance, indicated that he’d refuse to sign a health care bill that lacks a public option. So this is definitely an interesting development.
