◼ The House’s $1.1 trillion spending bill: The Post’s guide - Ed O’Keefe/Washington Post
We’ve sifted through most of it and unearthed some notable and controversial elements.
◼ “Congress is once again showing complete unwillingness to restrain spending!” -AFP President Tim Phillips. - AFP
“This spending bill is the predictable consequence of a series of poor choices from politicians on both sides of the aisle. If we continue down this road of misguided budget negotiations, our national debt will continue to grow – and hardworking Americans and their families are the ones who will end up footing the bill.”
◼ AP: "House passes $1.1 trillion bill to fund government" -- Introduced two days ago... 1,582 pages of legislation... blasted through on a 359-67 vote... Why the rush?
"I don't think there's going to be a lot of opposition," one tea party leader, Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, said before the vote. "The die has been cast for the next year on budget fights."
To buy time for the Senate debate, Congress on Wednesday sent President Barack Obama a three-day funding bill in time to avert a scheduled shutdown at midnight. The Senate cleared that measure by an 86-14 vote and Obama quickly signed it into law.
The bill increases core agency spending by $26 billion over the fiscal 2013 year, after last year's automatic spending cuts took them to $986 billion. But it's $31 billion less than Congress passed last March before automatic cuts known as sequestration took effect....
Question: Did ANY of them actually read it before they voted on it? Now, it's headed to the Senate. Will ANY of them read it first?
Email/phone your representative and senator and ask...
