The House votes today on a two-week stop gap budget for the federal government, which will also include $4 billion in budget cutbacks as demanded by House Republicans.
The plan is expected to glide though the House, though it's not clear how many Democrats will vote for the temporary budget, as some expressed reservations and outright opposition to the plan.
"Any cuts proposed by Democrats or Republicans must be measured by whether they create or lose jobs and whether they strengthen or weaken the economy and the middle class," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
To Pelosi's point, it wasn't immediately clear how the cuts would really impact various federal agencies - would this money be taken from programs and earmarks that are underway or is this money that has been approved, but not spent?
It wasn't immediately clear from documents released by the House Appropriations Committee.
For example, let's look at water projects undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers.
This stop gap budget would eliminate funding that was approved in fiscal year 2010 - that means money which was okayed by the Congress in October of 2009.
-$56 million - Army Corps of Engineers, Investigations
-$341 million - Army Corps of Engineers, Construction
-$80 million - Army Corps of Engineers, Mississippi River
-$39 million - Army Corps of Engineers, Operations and Maintenance
So, is this money that is leftover? If it hasn't been spent by now - 16 months after its approval by the Congress - then is it really impacting federal water projects in a negative way?
Here is another example, from the Federal Emergency Management Agency:
-$103 million - FEMA State and Local Programs - university and emergency operations center grants
-$25 million - FEMA Pre-disaster Mitigation Grants
Both of these grant programs are very popular with both parties, especially the EOC grant money. So, to have $128 million not sent out to the states does make me wonder - what projects that were approved didn't get funded?
Like the Army Corps money above, the FEMA money was approved in October of 2009, meaning that it's still on the shelf 16 months later as well.
As of now, the plan seems headed for quick approval today in the House, and then it will move to the Senate.
It was so non-controversial there at this point that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did not comment about it on the Senate floor, and no statement has been released yet by the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee either.
As my father would say in this situation, it seems like "the fix is in."
The House votes today on a two-week stop gap budget for the federal government, which will also include $4 billion in budget cutbacks as demanded by House Republicans. The plan is expected to glide though the House, though it's not clear how many Democrats will vote for the temporary budget, ...
