House and Senate negotiators have crafted a final fiscal year 2018 defense authorization bill that blows past statutory budget caps by nearly $80 billion and continues the Capitol Hill trend of reforming Pentagon acquisition and bureaucracy. The bill, which has bipartisan support, authorizes $626.4 billion in base defense spending and $65.7 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations funds, according to senior Armed Services committee staffers who briefed reporters Wednesday. The 2011 Budget Control Act, however, caps base defense spending at $549...