The Senate Appropriations Committee today approved a $355.4 billion defense bill for fiscal year 2003, making minor adjustments to the bill that had been passed Tuesday by the defense subcommittee. Ranking Member Ted Stevens (R-AK) said the committee expects to bring the bill to the Senate floor by July 31. The bill increases defense spending by $35 billion over the level Congress appropriated last year, but still falls $11.4 billion short of what the Bush administration asked for military spending...
