Senate panel approves F/A-18 purchase, delays Jefferson Barracks action

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a defense bill that would maintain the production lines of the F-18 in St. Louis, nix a new base-closing round, and block an AF plan to shut down air guard units, including one at Jefferson Barracks. While the Senate defense bill’s $631 billion price tag for fiscal 2013 is about $4 billion less than the House-passed version, the provisions of the two bills with direct impact in Missouri and Illinois appeared to be similar.

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