The House has cleared a $288 billion defense appropriations bill, which is about $4 billion more than President Clinton wanted. This includes $61.5 billion for weapons procurement, $40 billion for research & development, and $97.5 billion for operations and maintenance. Key features of the House version include $4 billion for the F-22, $4.6 billion for ballistic missile defense, $2.8 billion for 42 F-18E/F Super Hornets, $4.1 billion for a new aircraft carrier, and $1.5 billion for 20 V-22s.--Stephen V Cole