Washington ( CNN ) -- The House of Representatives approved a plan Friday that would pave the way for an eventual repeal of the military 's controversial `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' policy , which bars openly gay and lesbian soldiers from military service . The measure passed in a largely party-line , 229-186 vote as part of a larger defense authorization bill despite a growing controversy over allegations of wasteful spending in the legislation . Most Democrats backed the bill while most Republicans opposed it . Attention now shifts to the Senate , where the Armed Services Committee approved a `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' repeal earlier in the week . As in the House , the committee was divided sharply along partisan lines . The plan is a compromise under which the repeal would occur only after a military review of the question and subsequent approval by Obama , the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Opponents of the repeal language argue the military should first carry out the review ordered by Defense Secretary Robert Gates that is scheduled to be completed in December . Only then would military leaders have the necessary information from force members to develop a plan for carrying out the repeal , they claim . Under the compromise , the military would be given time to complete its review as sought by Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , Adm. Mike Mullen . Gates and Mullen both said this week they could accept the compromise language . A recent CNN poll seemed to suggest that Americans are ready for the change . The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Tuesday indicated that 78 percent of the public supports allowing openly gay people to serve in the military , with one in five opposed . Threatening to derail the plan , however , is House members ' insistence on spending almost $ 500 million on a fighter engine that neither the White House nor the Pentagon wants . Funding for the engine was included in the House 's version of the legislation but not the Senate 's . A White House spokesman warned before the House vote on Friday that President Barack Obama would veto the bill if funding for the engine is n't removed . Gates has blasted the proposed funding for the extra F-35 Joint Strike Fighter engine , calling it a `` waste of money '' that does n't meet the fighter 's performance needs . The chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee said Friday that he hopes Obama would n't veto the plan if Congress failed to remove the controversial funding . `` It 's difficult to believe the president would do anything other than look at the entire bill , not just one provision , '' said Sen. Carl Levin , D-Michigan . Levin would n't predict if the engine funding would still be in the bill by the time it reaches Obama 's desk . `` We are a long way from having a product , '' he said . `` Some of the things which I would think ( Obama ) may not like may be dropped along the way . '' Supporters of repealing the `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' policy have been pressuring congressional Democrats to act now , fearing the party will lose its House or Senate majority in November 's midterm election and be unable to pass the measure afterward . The compromise emerged late Monday from a meeting at the White House involving administration officials , gay rights groups and Pentagon officials , sources told CNN . There were also talks on Capitol Hill involving White House lawyers , Pentagon officials and staff from the offices of influential House and Senate Democrats , including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , the sources added . A senior U.S. military official with direct knowledge of the Pentagon review process told CNN it is well under way , with a survey going out shortly to about 70,000 troops and families to solicit their views . In addition , the official said , town hall meetings already have been held around the country and more are expected , while a website provides a place for troops to write in their views . The military needs until the end of 2010 to figure out how to implement the repeal in terms of housing , medical and marriage benefits , as well as issues involving the reinstatement of gay soldiers previously discharged under the policy , the official said . A major problem might be determining how to reconcile the repeal of `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' with federal law that defines marriage as between a man a woman , the official added . CNN 's Jamie Crawford , Laurie Ure , Alan Silverleib and Adam Levine contributed to this report .
NEW : The House of Representatives passed a repeal of `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' Obama has threatened to veto the bill due to a dispute over Pentagon spending . Comment: