Obama signs bill to keep agencies running

The Senate Wednesday sent President Obama legislation that would fund government programs through Oct. 31 after approving the $4.6 billion, fiscal 2010 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill, 62-38.

The continuing resolution, approved by the House Friday, will give Congress a month to finish work on the 12 annual appropriations bills. To date, the House has completed its versions of all the bills; the Senate has completed six. The Legislative Branch bill is the first fiscal 2010 spending bill to be sent to the president.

Obama signed it Wednesday.

Passage of the package was necessary to prevent a government shutdown starting Thursday, the beginning of fiscal 2010.

"With our men and women in uniform fighting on two fronts and with our economy at a critical stage in its recovery from the worst recession we have faced in several generations, it is inconceivable that we would allow for any disruption of the essential services provided by the federal government," said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii.

Republicans were frustrated Democrats included the CR in the Legislative Branch bill, which they argued prevented opportunities to change the stopgap bill on the House and Senate floors.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., raised a point of order that the measure broke Senate rules by adding nongermane items to the measure. But the Senate voted 61-39 to waive the point of order.

The Senate also voted 61-39 to waive a point of order raised by Budget Committee ranking member Judd Gregg, R-N.H., to strike a provision in the CR to help cover a budget shortfall by allowing the Postal Service to reduce payments prefunding retiree health benefits -- a move Gregg said would save $4 billion.

Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who voted for the bill, said the Democrats' move was done to prevent House Republicans from offering motions to recommit the bill.

"So here we are, the last day of the fiscal year and we clearly have to continue the critical operations of the federal government, but I do want to make clear that this was not the right process for us to follow," Murkowski said.

The CR funds most government programs at fiscal 2009 levels, but funding increases will be provided to the Veterans Health Administration to help cope with 6.1 million more patients in fiscal 2010, and to the Census Bureau.

The CR includes a provision barring federal funding for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. In addition, the measure extends various authorizations, including surface and aviation transportation programs.

Funding for the legislative branch included $1.36 billion for the House, $68 million above fiscal 2009 levels; and $962 million for the Senate, an increase of $31 million. The Architect of the Capitol would get $602 million, including $50 million to renovate the Cannon House Office Building. The Capitol Police would get a boost of $22 million, to $328.3 million, to increase civilian staffing levels and modernize its communications system.

Senate action on the CR came after House and Senate negotiators Wednesday approved a final version of the fiscal 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which could be considered by the full House as soon as Thursday and likely next week by the Senate.

The measure would provide a total of $33.5 billion in funding, about 1 percent above the $33.3 billion provided in fiscal 2009.

The bill includes $27.1 billion for the Energy Department, $318 million over fiscal 2009; $5.4 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, $43 million over last fiscal year; and $172 million for electricity delivery and energy reliability, a $35 million increase.

The bill did not include $2 billion to replenish funds from a $6 billion renewable energy loan guarantee program included in the stimulus package that was redirected to fund an extension of the cash-for-clunkers program. Senate Democrats and renewable energy advocates had been eyeing the Energy and Water bill as a vehicle to replenish the funds.

Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said the commitment to replace the funds remains, but another vehicle must be identified in collaboration with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the White House.

House and Senate negotiators Wednesday also approved the final version of the fiscal 2010 Agriculture bill, which provided a $23.3 billion in discretionary spending, $2.7 billion more than the 2009 bill.

The bill also covers $97.3 billion in mandatory spending compared with $87.8 billion in fiscal 2009. Most of the mandatory money goes for the supplemental nutrition assistance program and farm subsidies.

House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said the first opportunity to bring the bill to the House floor would be next week.

The House bill had zeroed out funding for the national animal identification program, but the conference report contains $5.3 million for it, along with language directing USDA to improve it, DeLauro said.

The bill includes a compromise between the House and the Senate to allow USDA to proceed with a rule that will allow the importation of processed chicken meat from China and $350 million in aid to dairy farmers.

Attached is a measure to extend the child nutrition programs for one year. Congress failed to reauthorize the child nutrition programs, which include school lunch and the special program for pregnant women, infants and children, before they expired Wednesday. Those programs were extended until the end of October as part of the CR/Legislative Branch package.

Jerry Hagstrom contributed to this report.