AP: Omnibus Bill Freezes Spending Levels

[Eugene]

Omnibus Bill Freezes Spending Levels

By ANDREW TAYLOR
The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 30, 2007; 12:53 AM

WASHINGTON -- Democrats unveiled a $463.5 billion catchall spending bill late Monday
to boost funding for community health centers, lower-income college students and efforts
to combat AIDS overseas _ while sticking within the confines of President Bush's tight
constraints for the ongoing budget year.

The bill, slated for a House vote Wednesday, finds money for Democratic priorities by
cutting Pentagon efforts to implement a 2005 round of base closings and freezing hundreds
of federal accounts at last year's levels.

-snip-

"I don't expect people to love this proposal, I don't love this proposal, and we probably
have made some wrong choices," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David
Obey, D-Wis. "At least we have made them in order to bring last year's issues to a
conclusion so we can turn the page and deal with next year's priorities."

-snip-

The bill would freeze most federal accounts at 2006 levels, though there are numerous
exceptions so that agencies can avoid furloughs and hiring freezes, and for a few programs,
such as health research and education, favored by Democrats.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/29/AR2007012901410.html

Many pet projects won't get funded. Several programs that Bush wants to cut
will keep their funding.

[Up2Late]

1. Excellent!

Guess they should have worked a bit harder at compromise while they had the chance.