House Moving Forward on Supplemental Bill
House Democrats, who sought to add $22 billion in domestic spending to the pending FY 2010 war, disaster and Haiti supplemental, are indicating that they might remove that funding amid objections from Republicans and Senate Democrats. The domestic spending, which included funds for Pell grants and to avert teacher layoffs, has been a sticking point for weeks as lawmakers try to get a supplemental bill to the President’s desk. The House is now looking likely to accept a version of the supplemental very similar to the $58.8 billion bill passed by the Senate in May, which included $6.3 billion for the International Affairs Budget, mainly for Haiti disaster relief and programs in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Secretary Gates had previously warned that if the supplemental was not passed by the July 4th recess, it would begin to interfere with military operations.
