Senate Panel Cuts $6.4 Billion From Obama 2012 Defense Plan
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The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee approved a $664.5 billion defense budget for fiscal year 2012, $6.4 billion less than President Barack Obama proposed for the Pentagon and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The measure, which sets military policy and spending targets for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, fully funds 32 Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 fighter jets and authorizes $10.4 billion for U.S. Special Operations Command, an increase of 6 percent from this year. In May, U.S. Navy SEALs killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a compound in Pakistan.