House appropriators advanced their fiscal 2027 Defense spending bill this week after adding language to scrutinize data centers and accelerate the remediation of polluted military installations.
Before approving the spending bill on a 34-27 vote, the Appropriations Committee rejected a Democratic amendment that would have triggered an investigation into the Pentagon’s $620 million loan to a rare earths minerals company.
The $1.07 trillion Defense spending measure is the last of the annual appropriations bills to clear the committee. Most of the House’s spending bills are awaiting floor votes.
House leaders delayed a procedural vote on the Energy-Water and State-Foreign Operations bills this week because of an ongoing dispute over unrelated legislation.
