Yesterday (Wed.), the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee approved the $487.7 billion FY 2009 Defense Appropriations bill. The defense spending bill is passed every year, despite Congress's chronic inability to approve the other 11 individual annual spending bills, so it's no surprise to see this one advance. With less than three weeks remaining in the fiscal year, here's how close Congress is to passing the legislation necessary to keep the federal government operating past Sept. 30.