The Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee has approved a fiscal year 2017 spending bill that funds the Pentagon's base and overseas contingency operations budgets requested by the Obama administration, diverging from House appropriators, who seek a $16 billion OCO-to-base transfer. The bill recommends $515.9 billion for the Defense Department's base budget and $58.6 billion for the OCO account. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the top Democrat on the subcommittee, praised Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MS) during a Tuesday hearing for supporting a bill...
