Time Is Really Running Out: The 2006 defense appropriations spending bill moved another notch, while the authorization bill is where?. The Senate appropriations committee on Wednesday advanced the 2006 defense spending measure to the Senate floor. (DR, 09/28/05) Meanwhile, Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said Wednesday that one option under consideration was to push the authorization measure through as an amendment to the appropriations bill. Appropriators appear receptive, but they want some of the fat trimmed off first. The 2006 authorization bill has about 200 amendments-in-waiting.
The six-week government shutdown did not affect the hours flown by Air Force pilots, a service spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine—avoiding what could have been a major blow at a time when flying hours are already lower than they have been in decades.
