http://www.mail.com/subjects/2970-appropriations.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/2970-appropriations.html http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2090968-house-bill-protects-homeland-security-budget.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican-controlled House panel moved Thursday to protect the Department of Homeland Security from the big cuts facing other domestic agencies under the party's budget slashing plan. The move came as the Appropriations Committee leadership privately circulated plans to drastically reduce spending for labor, education and health progr... Fri, 17 May 2013 00:29:17 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2090968-house-bill-protects-homeland-security-budget.html 2013-05-17T00:29:17Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2088232-house-panel-boosts-veterans-spending.html WASHINGTON (AP) — With no broader budget deal in sight, a key House panel responsible for implementing sweeping cuts to agency budgets moved Wednesday to exempt veterans and largely protect spending on border safety and other homeland security programs in the coming year. The strategy by the pragmatic House Appropriations Committee is to begin advancing a... Wed, 15 May 2013 19:28:29 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2088232-house-panel-boosts-veterans-spending.html 2013-05-15T19:28:29Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2086648-projected-lower-deficit-slow-budget-deal.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The good news is the budget deficit for the current year is projected to come in well below what was estimated just a few months ago. The bad news for deficit hawks is that the development could further curb the already slowing momentum for a budget pact this year. A Congressional Budget Office study released Tuesday cites higher tax rev... Wed, 15 May 2013 07:37:36 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2086648-projected-lower-deficit-slow-budget-deal.html 2013-05-15T07:37:36Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2073334-general-orders-extra-review-nuke-crew-failings.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The general who commands the nation's nuclear forces said Thursday he has ordered further review of failings discovered among Air Force officers who operate nuclear missiles. But he told Congress he was not alarmed by their shortcomings. Gen. Robert Kehler, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, told a House Armed Services panel that the A... Thu, 09 May 2013 14:52:55 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/2073334-general-orders-extra-review-nuke-crew-failings.html 2013-05-09T14:52:55Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2010906-agency-by-agency-guide-to-obamas-2014-budget.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has proposed a $3.8 trillion budget for fiscal 2014 that aims to slash the deficit by a net $600 billion over 10 years, raise taxes and trim popular benefit programs, including Social Security and Medicare. The White House claims deficit reductions of $1.8 trillion, but Obama's proposal would negate more than $1 trillion in automatic ... Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:41:12 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/2010906-agency-by-agency-guide-to-obamas-2014-budget.html 2013-04-10T23:41:12Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2011420-calif-bill-aimed-scouts-gay-ban-passes-hurdle.html SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A bill aimed at pressuring the Boy Scouts of America to lift its ban on gay members by making the organization ineligible for nonprofit tax breaks cleared its first vote on Wednesday in the California Legislature. The Senate Governance and Finance Committee voted 5 to 2 to move the first-of-its-kind bill to the Senate Appropriations C... Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:07:33 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/2011420-calif-bill-aimed-scouts-gay-ban-passes-hurdle.html 2013-04-10T22:07:33Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1963210-catchall-spending-bill-advances-senate.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan full-year funding bill took a big step forward in the Senate on Monday, despite opposition from Republicans who were denied chances to offer money aimed at addressing home state problems like looming closures of air traffic control towers. The legislation advanced on a 63-35 procedural vote that sets up a vote on Tuesday to ... Tue, 19 Mar 2013 01:08:27 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1963210-catchall-spending-bill-advances-senate.html 2013-03-19T01:08:27Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1948046-ryans-budget-gop-takes-aim-dem-spending-plans.html WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans redoubled their efforts to roll back signature accomplishments of President Barack Obama on Tuesday, offering a slashing budget plan that would repeal new health care subsidies and cut spending across a wide swath of programs dear to Obama and his Democratic allies. The GOP plan was immediately rejected by the White Hou... Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:17:06 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1948046-ryans-budget-gop-takes-aim-dem-spending-plans.html 2013-03-13T00:17:06Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1947078-senate-democrats-unveil-government-funding-bill.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Top Senate Democrats and Republicans Monday night released a catchall government funding bill that denies President Barack Obama new money for implementing signature first-term accomplishments like new regulations on Wall Street and his expansion of government health care subsidies but provides modest additional funding for domestic priorities like health r... Tue, 12 Mar 2013 02:38:24 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1947078-senate-democrats-unveil-government-funding-bill.html 2013-03-12T02:38:24Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1939130-senate-democrat-unveils-bill-preventing-shutdown.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Senate ally of President Barack Obama said Thursday that Democrats won't push controversial ideas like additional money to implement signature party initiatives as the chamber advances a huge spending measure that would fund day-to-day federal operations through September. Appropriations Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said the... Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:33:27 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1939130-senate-democrat-unveils-bill-preventing-shutdown.html 2013-03-07T21:33:27Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1918894-budget-cuts-loom-government-shutdown-next.html WASHINGTON (AP) — With big, automatic budget cuts about to kick in, House Republicans are turning to mapping strategy for the next showdown just a month away, when a government shutdown instead of just a slowdown will be at stake. Both topics are sure to come up at the White House meeting Friday between President Barack Obama and top congressional leaders... Thu, 28 Feb 2013 04:26:42 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1918894-budget-cuts-loom-government-shutdown-next.html 2013-02-28T04:26:42Z http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1908504-apnewsbreak-national-park-cuts-detailed-memo.html SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The towering giant sequoias at Yosemite National Park would go unprotected from visitors who might trample their shallow roots. At Cape Cod National Seashore, large sections of the Great Beach would close to keep eggs from being destroyed if natural resource managers are cut. Gettysburg would decrease by one-fifth the numbers of ... Sat, 23 Feb 2013 00:38:01 GMT http://www.mail.com/entertainment/lifestyle/1908504-apnewsbreak-national-park-cuts-detailed-memo.html 2013-02-23T00:38:01Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1891936-womens-security-raised-american-indian-leader.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The president of the National Congress of American Indians urged the House on Thursday to pass the Violence Against Women Act so Native Americans and Alaska Natives can "protect their own people and surrounding communities against brutality." Jefferson Keel's appeal followed Senate passage on Tuesday of the act that continues to allow fu... Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:44:41 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1891936-womens-security-raised-american-indian-leader.html 2013-02-14T20:44:41Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1891964-democrats-to-unveil-bill-to-replace-budget-cuts.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in the Senate are unveiling legislation Thursday to avoid a looming set of sharp, across-the-board spending cuts set to strike the Pentagon and domestic agencies in just two weeks. The measure would impose a minimum tax rate on million-dollar incomes and replace the automatic cuts, known as a se... Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:44:41 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1891964-democrats-to-unveil-bill-to-replace-budget-cuts.html 2013-02-14T18:44:41Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1847862-apnewsbreak-harkin-wont-seek-6th-senate-term.html CUMMING, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin said Saturday he will not seek a sixth term in 2014, a decision that eases some of the burden the national Republican Party faces in retaking the Senate. Harkin, chairman of an influential Senate committee, announced his decision during an interview with The Associated Press, saying the move could surprise some. T... Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:37:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1847862-apnewsbreak-harkin-wont-seek-6th-senate-term.html 2013-01-27T00:37:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1838720-feud-budget-diplomatic-security-escalates.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A long-running feud over whether Congress provides enough money for protecting U.S. diplomats escalated Tuesday as the chairman of a Senate subcommittee charged that House Republicans "blithely torpedoed embassy security funds" in stripping a $1 billion measure sought by the State Department from a hurricane relief bill. Sen. Patrick Lea... Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:39:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1838720-feud-budget-diplomatic-security-escalates.html 2013-01-22T20:39:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1821296-sandy-aid-package-moving-toward-house-votes.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The House moved toward action Tuesday on a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that Northeast lawmakers hoped could be approved despite attempts by fiscal conservatives to eliminate unrelated projects and to gain offsetting spending cuts to cover the costs of the bill. Amendments offered by opponents of full funding set up a faceoff on the emergency ... Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1821296-sandy-aid-package-moving-toward-house-votes.html 2013-01-15T19:14:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1820642-conservatives-chip-50b-sandy-aid-package.html WASHINGTON (AP) — House conservatives opposed to more deficit spending tried Monday to chip away at the $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package by requiring offsetting spending cuts to pay for recovery efforts and by stripping money for projects they say are unrelated to the Oct. 29 storm or not urgently needed. The push by budget hawks for amendments ... Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1820642-conservatives-chip-50b-sandy-aid-package.html 2013-01-15T01:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1815738-critics-complain-sandy-aid-tied-to-projects.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Conservatives and watchdog groups are mounting a "not-so-fast" campaign against a $50.7 billion Superstorm Sandy aid package that Northeastern governors and lawmakers hope to push through the House this coming week. Their complaint is that lots of the money that lawmakers are considering will actually go toward recovery efforts for past ... Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1815738-critics-complain-sandy-aid-tied-to-projects.html 2013-01-14T18:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1793744-roberts-urges-full-financial-support-court.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Urging full financial support for the U.S. court system, Chief Justice John Roberts said in his year-end report Monday that the federal judiciary, unlike executive branch agencies, does not have discretionary programs it can eliminate or projects it can postpone. The judiciary has been doing its part to carefully manage "its tiny portion... Mon, 31 Dec 2012 22:04:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1793744-roberts-urges-full-financial-support-court.html 2012-12-31T22:04:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1790338-senate-approves-604-billion-sandy-aid-bill.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Friday approved a $60.4 billion emergency spending aid package for victims of Hurricane Sandy that had been backed by Senate Democrats. Democrats had to turn back Republican efforts to cut programs such as $150 million in fisheries aid that Republican lawmakers said was unrelated to the storm that hammered the East Coast la... Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:08:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1790338-senate-approves-604-billion-sandy-aid-bill.html 2012-12-29T00:08:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1777814-mikulski-1st-woman-to-head-appropriations.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski is set to become the first woman to chair the prestigious Senate Appropriations Committee, a position left open this week by the death of Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye. A Democrat, Mikulski was first elected to the Senate in 1986 after serving 10 years in the House. Last year, she became the longest-serving wom... Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1777814-mikulski-1st-woman-to-head-appropriations.html 2012-12-19T22:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1777856-gop-proposes-smaller-24b-sandy-aid-package.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans on Wednesday proposed a $24 billion emergency aid package for Superstorm Sandy victims, less than half of what Democrats hope to pass by Christmas. The GOP alternative bill would provide more than enough money to pay for immediate recovery efforts through the spring. Republicans complain that the $60.4 billion Democrat... Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:26:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1777856-gop-proposes-smaller-24b-sandy-aid-package.html 2012-12-19T22:26:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1774300-leahy-sworn-president-pro-tempore-senate.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont was sworn in Tuesday as president pro tempore of the Senate. As the longest serving Democrat now in the Senate, Leahy moved to third place in the line of presidential succession, behind Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner. Biden swore Leahy in as the successor to Hawaii Sen. Da... Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:45:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1774300-leahy-sworn-president-pro-tempore-senate.html 2012-12-18T20:45:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1772782-sen-daniel-inouye-hawaii-dead-88.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Recovering from war wounds that left him with one arm, Danny Inouye wanted a cigarette and needed a light. The nurse at the Army hospital in Michigan threw a pack of matches on his chest. He wanted to curse her. Instead, she taught him how to light it one-handed. "Then she said, 'I'm not going to be around here for the rest of your life.... Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:25:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1772782-sen-daniel-inouye-hawaii-dead-88.html 2012-12-18T00:25:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1762418-senate-dems-offer-sandy-disaster-aid-package.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats on Wednesday finished cobbling together a $60.4 billion disaster aid package for New York, New Jersey and other states hit by Superstorm Sandy in late October. Working from the emergency spending request President Barack Obama made five days ago, the Senate Appropriations Committee released its draft of the legislation. ... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1762418-senate-dems-offer-sandy-disaster-aid-package.html 2012-12-12T22:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1744080-pentagon-planning-massive-budget-cuts.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department has begun planning for the roughly $500 billion in personnel and program cuts over a decade that will be needed if Congress and the White House fail to reach a deal that would avoid the double hit of tax hikes and automatic spending reductions dubbed the "fiscal cliff." Department spokesman George Little said the c... Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:46:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1744080-pentagon-planning-massive-budget-cuts.html 2012-12-05T19:46:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1740346-cuomo-hes-optimistic-sandy-aid.html WASHINGTON (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo emerged Monday from meetings with top Obama administration officials and congressional leaders "optimistic" that Congress will act quickly to provides tens of billions of dollars to help his state recover from Superstorm Sandy, one of the Northeast's most destructive storms. "People are still reeling from this ... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1740346-cuomo-hes-optimistic-sandy-aid.html 2012-12-03T23:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1721102-checklist-to-whether-debt-reduction-real.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and leaders of the lame-duck Congress may be just weeks away from shaking hands on a deal to avert the dreaded "fiscal cliff." So it's natural to wonder: If they announce a bipartisan package promising to curb mushrooming federal deficits, will it be real? Both sides have struck cooperative tones since Obama's re-e... Sun, 25 Nov 2012 01:55:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/finance/1721102-checklist-to-whether-debt-reduction-real.html 2012-11-25T01:55:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1713788-sen-warren-rudman-nh-dies-82.html CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Colleagues knew former Sen. Warren B. Rudman for his abrupt manner, but they trusted his expertise. On one matter in particular, though, he wished people would have listened to him: that the U.S. was vulnerable to a major terrorist attack. Rudman left the Senate in the early 1990s but later led a commission that predicted the danger o... Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:20:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1713788-sen-warren-rudman-nh-dies-82.html 2012-11-20T19:20:00Z