House agrees on bill to keep government running

House agrees on bill to keep government running
Army Times
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 4, 2013 16:39:36 EST

A stopgap spending bill unveiled Monday to keep the government operating through Sept. 30 would not undo sequestration, but it would give the Defense Department flexibility in how to make $46 billion in reductions.

The House version of the so-called continuing resolution, needed to keep the government operating beyond March 27, represents a bit of pragmatism as lawmakers come to realize they cannot reach a compromise on deficit reduction and spending priorities if they face one crisis deadline after another.

It also represents acceptance of the $86 billion in across-the-board cuts known as sequestration, ordered March 1 by President Obama, as a likely down payment on what further spending cuts ultimately are made.

The bill, HR 933, still requires the $46 billion sequestration cut this year, but it gives DoD more leeway to move money from account to account. It is scheduled to pass the House of Representatives this week; the Senate is working on its own version of the bill that could make additional adjustments in non-defense programs, which would require lawmakers to reach a compromise to avoid a government shutdown when the current continuing resolution expires in late March.
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