The World : House OKs 2 New Carriers

The House voted to approve two more aircraft carriers for the Navy, easily turning down attempts to torpedo the giant warships as too expensive. The decisions came as the Democratic-controlled chamber worked its way through a bill authorizing $288 billion in Pentagon spending for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The House had been scheduled to debate the “Star Wars” missile defense system, but this action was postponed to next week because the debate is likely to be lengthy. The bill contains a $660-million down payment on a pair of aircraft carriers that will eventually cost a total of $6.9 billion when they are built in the next decade.