By Emelie Rutherford Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), the all-powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee (HAC-D) who swayed much of the Pentagon's spending, died yesterday in Arlington, Va., from complications following recent gallbladder surgery. He was 77. The 19-term lawmaker, a Vietnam War veteran, supported sizable defense budgets while chiding Pentagon brass to provide equipment for troops and fix troubled weapon-systems programs. He was known as a master of pork-barrel spending and for his ties to defense contractors, including…
Murtha, Powerful Defense Budget Writer, Dies At 77
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