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.

 

Although the Pentagon says its fleet of C-17s is large enough, the Senate voted 64-34 to keep the funding for the additional jets. While Obama has employed veto threats in his efforts to kill the F-22 fighter and the way-over-budget VH-71 presidential helicopter, he has not been as strongly opposed to the C-17.