(Reuters circulated the following article by Richard Cowan on January 31.)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a $463.5 billion funding bill to keep the government running this year, while adding money to care for veterans wounded in Iraq and stepping up the global struggle against HIV/AIDS.
By a vote of 286-140, the new Democratic-controlled House passed the bill that funds fiscal 2007 domestic programs over the objections of some Republicans who complained they had little say in shaping it.
The money will be used to pay for education, law enforcement, health and other programs through September 30, when the fiscal year ends.
Democrats said Republicans had no right to criticize the bill because the previous Republican-controlled Congress had failed to pass nine of the 11 fiscal 2007 spending bills that finance various government departments and programs.
“You forfeited any right to squawk about how we cleaned up your mess,” said Democratic Rep. David Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “Don’t blame us for your screw-ups.”
Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, the senior Republican on the committee, complained that it was being debated “without the opportunity of one amendment.”
But Congress is up against a February 15 deadline for passing the money bill or risking a government shutdown. The Senate hopes to pass the measure, which mostly freezes spending at fiscal 2006 levels, before that deadline.
The bill would fund veterans health care programs at $32.3 billion this year, an increase of $3.6 billion, amid rising health care costs and mounting casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The measure provides $4.5 billion to fight the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and malaria and tuberculosis outbreaks, a $1.3 billion increase over the previous year.
“With the increase … the US is much better placed to go to other countries and urge them to increase their contributions,” the Global AIDS Alliance said. The private group estimated 4.3 million new AIDS infections last year and said malaria and drug-resistant TB outbreaks continued.
Funding increases for the U.S. share of international peacekeeping operations also were inserted by Democrats.
The White House applauded the legislation for staying within spending caps set forth in early 2006. But it criticized lower funding than Bush had requested for closing obsolete military bases and said the nearly $1.3 billion for the Amtrak passenger railroad was “excessive.”
The bill gives the administration an additional $216.6 million to hire more FBI agents and other law enforcement.
Members of Congress will feel the sting of this spending bill personally, as it prohibits any increase this year in lawmakers’ $162,500 salary.
Last year, Democrats campaigned on a vow to block any pay raise for members of Congress until a minimum wage hike for the lowest paid workers is enacted. The House passed such a bill earlier this month, which is being debated by the Senate.
Democrats also pumped more money into grants to help 5.3 million students pay for college and for other education programs.
Government scientific research would fare better as well, with money added for the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and Energy Department programs.