| The $1.1 trillion spending bill released Tuesday evening expands funding for international health efforts on AIDS and for fighting Ebola both at home and abroad. But it would bring little change to other domestic health care concerns. In addition, the Medicare “doc fix” got rolled into next year. The New York Times: Congressional Leaders Reach Deal On Spending The spending bill is geared toward combating threats from afar, with roughly $5.4 billion in emergency funds to fight Ebola in West Africa, nearly $74 billion for wars and other overseas operations, and more than half of the overall package going to military spending. ... The final deal amounted to what one Democratic aide called a “split decision” likely to leave both sides unhappy. For instance, the bill would nullify the District of Columbia’s referendum to legalize marijuana, but it would allow Washington to decriminalize the drug, meaning possession of small amounts would no longer be punished. ... Democrats fought off Republican efforts to scuttle Michelle Obama’s rules on nutritional content of school lunches, but Republicans secured flexibility on the use of whole grains. (Parker and Weisman, 12/9) The Washington Post: Deal Reached On $1.01 Trillion Spending Bill At 1,603 pages, the bill includes at least $1.2 billion for agencies to deal with the influx of unaccompanied immigrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. There’s also money to fight the rise of... |
