Key Senate panel freezes Pentagon spending for 2012

U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved the Defense Department spending legislation, essentially freezing the Pentagon\'s spending for 2012. The figure approved by the Senate panel is at a level of 513 billion in 2012, 26 billion below what the Obama administration had sought for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. It freezes the department\'s annual budget for the second consecutive year, and sets up a stage for conflict with House of Representatives. The House already approved a 530 billion 2012 Pentagon funding measure, meaning the two chambers will have to work out their differences. In addition, the measure also would provide 117.8 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, matching the administration\'s request. The Senate panel\'s measure proposes cuts in nearly 600 programs, including 695 million from the Pentagon\'s 9.7 billion F-35 fighter jets program. It would freeze F-35 production levels at the 2011 rate through 2013 because the test program could not use all the new jets.