House Approves $410 Billion ‘Omnibus’ Spending Bill

[deminks]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aGcZFK6kDeQo

Feb. 25 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. House voted to boost spending on domestic programs by 8 percent, ease restrictions on travel to Cuba and kill a school voucher program in Washington, D.C., as part of a $410 billion spending bill.

The “omnibus” bill, approved 245-178, combines nine appropriations measures to fund the federal government through September, the end of its fiscal year. Democrats said the spending increase, on top of a $787 billion economic stimulus package signed last week, was needed to make up for tighter budgets during the Bush administration.

“We need to turn the page once and for all on the last eight years,” said Representative James McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat. “I’m glad that we have reversed the Bush cuts on domestic priorities.”

Republicans criticized the spending increase as unaffordable while the government is projected to run a deficit topping $1.2 trillion. They said the legislation contradicted President Barack Obama’s pledge to rein in the federal deficit.

(snip)

The bill heads to the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid said today he wants to complete work on it by the end of next week, when stopgap funding runs out. The measure would complete budget work Democrats postponed last year when they were unable to agree with then-President George W. Bush on spending. Bush wanted to freeze most domestic spending. Democrats balked, figuring they could get a better deal from Bush’s successor.

[BlooInBloo]

1. There are a lot of good things in it. Forget where I saw the link to other stuff.

[WI_DEM]

2. It's amusing to find the republicans lambasting spending when they held the presidency

and the congress for most of the last eight years and deficits sky rocketed.

[Still Sensible]

3. Is this the one McCain said had so many earmarks in it?

If it is, it will give some GOP and MSM a boat load of talking points for a good while.