1.1 Trillion dollar budget approved in House

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have muscled a $1.1 trillion bill financing government agencies through the House after President Barack Obama phoned Democratic lawmakers and urged them to back the measure.

The House approved the measure late Thursday by 219-206.

The compromise bill keeps agencies funded through next September.

Many conservatives opposed it because it did not block Obama's recent executive actions on immigration. A large majority of House Democrats opposed it because of provisions easing some restrictions on banks and allowing higher political contributions by big donors.

Obama backed the bill and called wavering Democratic lawmakers to persuade them to help it pass.

The bill must now be approved by the Democratic-run Senate.

Funding for federal agencies was expiring at midnight. Lawmakers were ready to pass short-term legislation keeping government doors open.

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So, how far is this budget bill from a balanced budget?  Does it matter anymore, or what?

I haven't seen deficit numbers yet, bit it is interesting that the bill allows for ten times higher individual political campaign donations... up to $324,000 per individual. Let the greenbacks fill the coffers!

It's disgusting how they toss in provisions at the last second like that campaign funding change. If these morons worked the way they do at a company they would be fired.

nochain wrote:

It's disgusting how they toss in provisions at the last second like that campaign funding change. If these morons worked the way they do at a company they would be fired.

'disgusting' is accurate but unfortunately it's the way things have been done, are done, and will be done.... when things are attached then it's support or non-support for provisions that usually tug at the heart strings of voters but campaign funding additions only feed the pigs devouring for their own survival...

Your personal communications are being scrutinized too. What a machine...

It's why the line-item veto should have been passed years ago. As long as congressmen can put their pork into other legislation and hide what they do, they'll never pass such a thing. Most of the American public doesn't pay a bit of attention.
Our system of government needs changing. We need to get rid of the electoral college first and then tackle all the other screwed up stuff. No way it's going to happen though-nobody up in Washington is going to give up one bit of their power.
I'm pretty disgusted with the whole system right now.

Eddard wrote:

It's why the line-item veto should have been passed years ago. As long as congressmen can put their pork into other legislation and hide what they do, they'll never pass such a thing. Most of the American public doesn't pay a bit of attention.
Our system of government needs changing. We need to get rid of the electoral college first and then tackle all the other screwed up stuff. No way it's going to happen though-nobody up in Washington is going to give up one bit of their power.
I'm pretty disgusted with the whole system right now.

Eddard, it DID pass a few years back
* Introduced in the Senate as "Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 1995" (S. 4) by Bob Dole (R-KS) on January 4, 1995
* Committee consideration by Senate Governmental Affairs, Senate Budget
* Passed the Senate on March 23, 1995 (69–29)
* Passed the House on May 17, 1995 (Unanimous Consent)
* Reported by the joint conference committee on March 21, 1996; agreed to by the Senate on March 27, 1996 (69–31) and by the House on March 28, 1996 (by H. Res. 391 232–177)
* Signed into law by President Bill Clinton on April 9, 1996

Judge Thomas Hogan of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia combined the cases and declared the law unconstitutional on February 12, 1998. This ruling was subsequently affirmed on June 25, 1998 by a 6-3 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in the case Clinton v. City of New York. Justices Breyer, Scalia, and O'Connor dissented. The ruling has been criticized by legal scholars.

Perhaps if it was written differently, it would hold water.