The chairwoman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee says she's optimistic Republicans and Democrats will avert a government shutdown Friday and ultimately reach a budget deal that boosts defense spending through the Pentagon's controversial war-funding account. "I don't think the government will shut down," Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) told Inside Defense in a Wednesday afternoon interview. "Part of it is because there's so many of us here when it did -- it was terrible," she continued. "I don't think it's...