$247-Billion Defense Bill OKd in Senate

The Senate passed a $247-billion defense appropriations bill for 1998, quickly pushing through extra spending for a new warship but warning the Clinton administration about the cost of overseas deployments. Unlike past years, the bill, approved on a 94-4 vote, makes only modest changes in President Clinton’s request--a $3.2-billion increase, with all of the added money devoted to weapons purchases. The spending bill is $3.1 billion more than this year’s defense spending level. Included in the bill is $1.9 billion to pay for U.S. troop deployments in Bosnia and the Persian Gulf region.