Ebola virus (Shorts and Longs)

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12/9/14: Deal reached on massive $1.1 trillion spending bill

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/massive-spending-bill-hits-snag-in-congress-as-deadline-draws-near/2014/12/09/981a81b4-7fa7-11e4-81fd-8c4814dfa9d7_story.html

By Ed O'Keefe December 9 at 6:48 PM

Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on a massive $1.1 trillion spending measure that will keep most of the federal government funded through next September.

Months of protracted negotiations between Democratic and Republican leaders concluded on Tuesday night, with passage expected in the coming days, according to top aides. Final details of the bill were still being sorted out and leaders were still mulling whether to approve a stopgap bill to give lawmakers a few more days to pass the final bill and avoid a government shutdown.

Extending current funding for just a few days has happened before, but doing so this year would provide an embarrassing finale to one of the most fruitless congressional sessions in history.

With just two days to go before government funding expires, “There’s no reason the government should shut down,” Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday. “And we’re ready to pass a year-long spending bill to take care of this.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) assured reporters that the bill would pass “before we leave here this week.”

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) joked that last-minute drama with the spending plan “is a Christmas tradition,” but added: “I don’t see it getting derailed. I think it could get slowed down, but I think it will ultimately get across the finish line.”

Once the bill is released late Tuesday, House Republicans will have to wait until Thursday morning to hold a vote as part of their rule requiring legislation to be considered for at least part of three days before a vote is held. But that would give the Senate just a few hours to earn rare unanimous consent to bypass the normal rules and quickly approve the bill, increasing the likelihood that lawmakers will pass a stopgap bill and work through the weekend, if needed.

In the House, top GOP leaders plan to use Wednesday to build support for the legislation, especially among conservative lawmakers who have bucked House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) in the past. Boehner has vowed to adjourn the House by Thursday and has predicted that the bill will ultimately pass with broad bipartisan support.

Congressional leaders originally hoped to release the spending bill Monday night, but last-minute attempts to add language renewing a government-backed terrorism insurance program delayed the release. By Tuesday afternoon, leaders had dropped plans to include an extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act in the bill, opting instead to move it as separate legislation. The National Football League and the powerful insurance, construction and hospitality industries have been pushing for Congress to renew the program before it expires on Dec. 31.

Many of the spending bill’s biggest details are already set in stone thanks to spending caps agreed to by the White House and lawmakers last year.

The agreement is expected to include most of the money President Obama requested to fight Ebola, but it is expected to slash funding for changes to school lunch programs that are backed by first lady Michelle Obama.

Several congressional Democrats said their support for the legislation was dependent on whether Republicans try tucking any policy “riders” into the bill.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s nonvoting Democratic representative, and other Democrats were warning they would vote against the bill if it puts any restrictions on the District’s plans to legalize marijuana possession, which city voters approved last month.

The congressional interference, however, could create a level of chaos in the District, legalizing possession and home cultivation of the plant, but prohibiting the city from spending additional resources to set up a regulatory framework to allow for legal sale and taxation of pot.

Reid told reporters Tuesday that he opposes putting any restrictions on the District’s new marijuana program, but conceded that it may be difficult to remove such language from the final bill.

“The District of Columbia should do what they want to do,” he said.

Aaron Davis contributed to this report.