Today, President Obama signed into law a FY 2012 “minibus” spending package (H.R. 2112) that contains three of the twelve annual appropriations bills and sets FY 2012 spending levels for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, as well as NASA and the National Science Foundation. By passing this legislation with strong bipartisan support yesterday, Congress avoided a potential government shutdown at midnight tonight. This bill marks the first yearlong spending measure enacted for FY2012 and provides almost $300 billion in total spending.
The minibus adhered to spending caps set by August’s debt ceiling compromise, with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) absorbing the most significant funding cut. HUD funding dropped approximately 10% from FY 2011 levels, with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program suffering a 16% cut and all funding for HUD’s Sustainable Communities grants eliminated. Outside of HUD, most agencies fared relatively well under this bill – Agriculture spending was only cut 2% and the Departments of Commerce, Justice and Transportation saw slight funding increases. The bill also includes $2.3 billion in emergency disaster relief to assist victims of recent natural disasters.
Along with setting FY 2012 spending levels for these agencies, the minibus also included a Continuing Resolution that will allow the government to stay funded through December 16th. Congress is expected to act next on the appropriations bills funding the Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Treasury, Small Business Administration, General Services Administration, and State Department.
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