House leadership sets vote on 2011 funding for Wednesday

The office of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced late Tuesday that the House will take up a $1.1 trillion
continuing resolution (CR) funding the government though Sept. 30.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) released a
final draft of the CR at 12:30 a.m. Democrats plan to send the CR to the
Senate, where they will attempt to amend it into an omnibus
appropriations bill that has been crafted by Sen. Daniel Inouye
(D-Hawaii).

Despite an objection from Hoyer, the bill contains a two-year freeze
on federal civilian worker pay. Hoyer, along with other Washington-area representatives, had sought a one-year freeze only.

Overall the act freezes 2011 discretionary appropriations at the 2010 level, providing $45.9 billion less than the president requested for the year, Obey’s office said.

The bill contains billions of dollars in changes to spending at the request of the administration, but the new spending is covered by reductions in other areas, his office said. For example, $6 billion less in funding is granted to the Census Bureau, which is winding down work on the 2010 census. Meanwhile $3.1 billion in new funding is given to the Veterans Adminstration for medical operations and $4.9 billion is granted the Pentagon for salary and health costs.

With this increase, the act includes $513 billion overall for the Department of Defense. It has $501.4 billion for all other appropriations, $3.5 billion below 2010. 
 
It also includes $159 billion for the war, as the president requested, and prohibits funding for congressional earmarks that were included in 2010 spending bills.