Today the House will take up HR 4613, which would provide the Pentagon with $418 billion, with $25 billion for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill was approved by a voice vote by the Appropriations Committee on June 16 and House GOP leaders say they do not expect contentious floor debate. The House Rules Committee approved an open rule for the bill, allowing any germane amendment to be offered during debate.

In the Senate, Ted Stevens, R-AK, the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and full Appropriations Committee, has scheduled markups of the Senate’s defense spending measure. Working in coordination with Senate Majority leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee), Stevens intends to bring the spending bill to floor Wednesday. In order to complete the bill before the July 4 recess, Frist has threatened to keep the Senate in session over the weekend if work on it is not completed by Friday.