Senate Roll Vote: to halt production of the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor fighter jets

September 30th, 2009 Senate rebuffs Obama, McCain in backing cargo jetsWASHINGTON — In a rebuff to both President Barack Obama and his former presidential opponent, Republican Sen. John McCain, the Senate on Wednesday rejected an effort to kill $2.5 billion for 10 new C-17 cargo jets and devote the money to military readiness accounts.

September 25th, 2009 QUITO - Ecuador is in talks to purchase 12 Cheetah C fighter jets from South Africa for the armed forces, a media report said citing Defence Minister Javier Ponce. Ecuador Air Force has recommended the purchase of South African warplanes due to its low cost, the El Universo daily reported.

September 7th, 2009 PARIS - Brazil is planning to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, officials said Monday. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is currently in Brazil to negotiate the aircraft deal.

August 2nd, 2009 JERUSALEM - The Israeli Air Force is planning to purchase South Korea's T-50 Golden Eagle fighter jets in a bid to replace its ageing Skyhawk fleet, the Ha'aretz daily reported Sunday. A three-member delegation of the Israeli Air Force is expected to visit Seoul next week to discuss the matter with their South Korean counterparts.

July 31st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives passed a $636-billion defence bill Thursday after removing money to continue production of the F-22, meeting a key demand by President Barack Obama. The bill, for fiscal 2010 and including $128 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, passed by a 400-30 vote.

July 21st, 2009 Senate sides with Obama, removes F-22 moneyWASHINGTON — The Senate voted Tuesday to halt production of the Air Force's missile-eluding F-22 Raptor fighter jets in a high-stakes showdown over President Barack Obama's efforts to shift defense spending to a new generation of smaller F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The 58-40 vote reflected an all-out lobbying campaign by the administration, which had to overcome resistance from lawmakers confronted with the potential losses of defense-related jobs if the F-22 program was terminated.

July 21st, 2009 Obama hails Senate vote killing F-22 productionWASHINGTON — 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.

July 21st, 2009 Senate Roll Call: Senate roll call on fighter jetsThe 58-40 roll call Tuesday by which the Senate voted Tuesday to halt further production of the Air Force's missile-eluding F-22 Raptor fighter jets. A "yes" vote is a vote in favor of an amendment to halt further production of the planes.

July 16th, 2009 Vote postponed on bid to remove F-22 jet fundingWASHINGTON — A bid to cut $1.75 billion recently added to the defense spending bill for more Lockheed Martin fighter jets has stalled in the Senate despite repeated veto threats by the White House. Bowing to pressure from Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen.

July 15th, 2009 Levin says vote postponed on F-22 jet fundingWASHINGTON — A key Senate vote that would eliminate $1.75 billion added to the defense spending bill for more fighter jets from Lockheed Martin has been postponed again. Sen. Carl Levin on Wednesday withdrew the F-22 amendment so the Senate can first address a controversial hate crimes bill.

July 13th, 2009 McCain looks to cut funding for more F-22 jetsWASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain, in an unusual alliance with the Obama administration, moved Monday to eliminate $1.75 billion recently inserted into the proposed 2010 defense budget for more fighter jets from Lockheed Martin.

June 26th, 2009 Lawmakers vote to continue production of F-22 jetsWASHINGTON — Congressional supporters of an advanced jet fighter won battles Thursday to build more of the aircraft. But with the Obama administration threatening to veto the move, they're a long way from winning the war.

June 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives passed a $680-billion defence spending bill Thursday despite President Barack Obama's threat to veto the measure. The bill for the fiscal 2010 year, which begins Oct 1, contains $369 million to continue production of the F-22 fighter jet the Obama and Defence Secretary Robert Gates say is not needed.

June 25th, 2009 Senators add $1.75B to DOD budget for F-22'sWASHINGTON — Senators on Thursday added $1.75 billion to a Pentagon budget proposal for seven more of Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-22 fighter jets, setting the stage for a battle with the Obama administration. The Senate Armed Services Committee added the funds in its version of the fiscal 2010 defense spending bill.

May 11th, 2009 Plane's hijacking alarm flub forces jet escortMIAMI — Authorities say a cockpit hijacking alarm was mistakenly tripped on an American Airlines flight carrying more than 150 people, forcing fighter jets to escort the plane onto the tarmac. Airline spokesman Tim Smith says Flight 535 was arriving Monday afternoon from San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the false alarm was reported.