Responding to Senate pressure, House appropriators dropped their opposition to granting the Navy multiyear procurement authority for the Virginia-class submarine program during a conference committee meeting Wednesday and accepted a Senate position that allows the service to buy five subs with that authority. House and Senate conferees wrapped up negotiations on the fiscal year 2004 defense appropriations bill in less than three hours Wednesday night, hoping to leave town before Hurricane Isabel hit Washington. They originally planned to convene all...
