The Senate Appropriations Committee's draft defense spending bill would increase shipbuilding spending by $3.4 billion but fund only one Virginia-class submarine in fiscal year 2025, teeing up a showdown between appropriators and authorizers over the future of the Virginia program. Both House and Senate appropriations committees have now advanced separate legislation supporting the Navy’s proposed reduction in FY-25 Virginia procurement. The two appropriation bills agree on this point while diverging widely on topline spending, with the House version sticking to...
