EXECUTIVE WARNING

Obama's Veto Threat

No F-22 jets allowed in defense bill.

A bill designed to help troops on the frontlines has created a new frontline—on Capitol Hill. In spite of a vocal pro-fighter-jet contingent in Congress, President Obama has long argued that funds used to manufacture F-22s would be better spent providing troops with more useful weapons and equipment. On Wednesday, the president announced that he will veto a pending $680 billion defense spending bill for fiscal year 2010 if lawmakers allocate funding for more F-22 fighter jets than the Defense Department has requested. "The administration strongly objects to the provisions in the bill authorizing $1.75 billion for seven F-22s in FY 2010," the White House said. Obama's intervention in the hot-button debate over ending the F-22 program has heightened pressure on lawmakers to respect his military priorities.