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House Passes Omnibus Funding Bill

By Jeralyn, Section Legislation
Posted on Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 09:51:30 PM EST
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The House of Representatives has passed a $516 billion appropriations bill that President Bush has said he will sign -- provided Republicans add on $40 billion for the war in Iraq. (Roll call vote on $31 million for funding the war in Afghanistan is here.)

Received by e-mail tonight from Congresswoman Diana DeGette's office:

The Consolidated Appropriations Act passed the House of Representatives tonight on a vote of 253 to 154 [Amendment #1]. On Amendment #2, regarding funding for Afghanistan and prohibiting any funds from being used for Iraq, the vote was 206 to 201. The bill now goes to the Senate.

It invests in health care access, medical research, education, veterans, energy efficiency, and secures money for the Democratic and Republican conventions, to name just a few.

Colorado Congressman Ed Perlmutter also sent out an e-mail with praise for passage of the bill's convention security funding.

Wandering through Google News, it looks like a lot of people are labeling this a pork bill. The House Government Appropriations Committee's website where you can view the provisions for yourself is here. The committee's press release on the bill is here (pdf).

On the upcoming Senate consideration and war funding, the article linked above reports:

The Senate is expected to approve the bill after substituting $70 billion in funding for Iraq and Afghanistan. The complicated plan calls for the House to have a vote limited to the war funding. That vote, if successful, would clear the combined bill for Bush's approval and allow lawmakers to go home for Christmas.

The result would be a twin defeat for Democrats, who had vowed not to allow additional Iraq war funding without conditions and had spent months on legislation to add $27 billion to domestic programs, an almost 7 percent increase.

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    House Passes Omnibus Funding Bill | 2 comments (2 topical)

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    Omnibus=pork (none / 0) (#1)
    by MikeDitto on Mon Dec 17, 2007 at 11:26:22 PM EST
    Of course not all pork is bad--the Federal government has to spend money on certain things, and it's part of a representative's job to make sure as much of that money is spent in his or her district as possible, bringing home the bacon as it were.

    But omnibus bills make it way to easy for bridges to nowhere to get lots and lots of tax money. That's why my boss, Mark Udall opposes omnibus bills and, in fact, cosponsored legislation to outlaw the practice.

    The Convention funding (none / 0) (#2)
    by Ben Masel on Tue Dec 18, 2007 at 11:02:05 AM EST
    goes to establish Police States outside.

    contrast the $100 million for each with the $3.2 million federal appropriation for the 1976 Republican Convention.

    House Passes Omnibus Funding Bill | 2 comments (2 topical)

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