Congressman Ryan has been appointed to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.  The Defense Appropriations Subcommittee annually funds the Department of Defense including all the branches of the military services, the National Guard, and our intelligence services.  This is a tremendous opportunity for Ohio and the 17^th Congressional District because of amount of defense expenditures in Ohio.  Last year the Congress appropriated $663.8 billion for Defense and this year the President has requested $708 billion.