
The House Appropriations Committee’s (HAC) draft defense spending bill for fiscal year 2024, released on Wednesday, has received sharp pushback from top Democratic appropriators who cited its “harmful policy riders” and cuts to munitions and climate change programs. HAC will meet behind closed doors on Thursday to mark up the $826.5 billion measure, with the topline number aligning with the agreement laid out in the debt ceiling bill passed earlier in June. “The bill prioritizes funding to counter China, optimize…