(KOH) – A $696.5 billion defense authorization bill passed by a House committee this week has spared the closure of the Army Depot in Hawthorne. In 2005 it was listed for closure but spared because of the economic impact shuttering the base would have had on Mineral County and has once again made the cut. The defense budget for fiscal 2018 is higher than the president had suggested and was approved by the House Armed Services Committee. Nevada has four military bases, which account for 53,000 jobs in the state.