Californian Calvert to Be Top Republican on Pentagon Spending

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) is in line to become the top Republican on the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, which holds the purse strings for the Pentagon, according to two congressional aides.

Calvert, who served as the subcommittee’s vice chairman last year, is the Republican leadership’s choice for the ranking member position and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), the top Republican on the Appropriations panel, will also recommend him to the Steering Committee, which then must cast a final vote.

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) at a 2015 news conference.

Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Calvert is no stranger to defense and aerospace interests, which have a heavy presence in his district that encompasses the western ...