So, in my final @washingtonpost assignment, I've joined @mikedebonis and @ericawerner in culling the omnibus spending bill for some standout items and hidden gems. Here are some highlights...
ALZHEIMER’S AND BRAIN RESEARCH: $1.8B for federal research of Alzheimer’s disease, a $414M increase from previous years. Another $400M for the BRAIN Initiative, and $40M for the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
APPRENTICESHIPS: Federal money for apprenticeship programs jumps $50M and by $75M for career & technical education programs. A win for @ivankatrump: More $$ "for child care and early head start programs to help make it easier for job seekers to enter or return to the workforce.”
ARTS FUNDING: It goes up despite Trump's attempts to slash. NEA and NEH funding climbs $152.8M each. National Gallery of Art gets $165.9M; John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts receives $40.5 million. All increases over last year.
ASIAN CARP: The invasive species has wreaked havoc on the Great Lakes, and Senate Democrats were touting language that forces the Army Corps of Engineers to block vessels in the Illinois River from carrying the carp across an electric field erected to keep them out of the lakes.
CAPITOL POLICE: They're able to hire 120 more officers as part of a $33.2M funding jump. The $426.5M total budget comes amid an alarming increase in threats to lawmakers and last year’s assassination attempt on Republicans practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game.
CENSUS: With preparations for the 2020 Census underway, the agency gets a $1.3 billion funding boost to prepare for the national headcount.
COAL: The spending bill includes $727M to develop “clean coal” technology and other technologies to boost natural gas, oil, and other fossil energy production.
CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE: The spending bill mandates that reports published by the research arm of Congress be published online for public consumption. Historically, such reports have not been easy to access online.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: A slight dip in its federal funding. Lawmakers provide $721M in direct federal money -- a $35M drop from last year – due mostly to a $22M cut in emergency planning money that was used to prepare for the 2017 presidential inauguration.
ELECTION SECURITY: The legislation includes $380 million in new spending for the federal Election Assistance Commission to dole out in grants to state governments to protect voting systems from cyber attacks.
EMBASSY SECURITY: The spending bill sets aside $6.1 billion for security at American diplomatic outposts around the globe, equal to the fiscal year 2017 level.
FBI: The spending bill grants the agency $9.03B, a $263M jump over FY17 & $307M more than Trump requested. There's no $$ for constructing new FBI HQ - a move by @ChrisVanHollen in response to administration’s plans to keep the HQ in DC instead of moving to MD or VA.
FEDERAL WORKER PAY AND PERKS: There’s a 1.9% pay raise for civilian federal employees – the first time in several years that civilian and military personnel will not see pay parity.
JOHNSON AMENDMENT: The federal ban on churches engaging in political activity while maintaining their tax-exempt status will continue, despite attempts by Trump and GOP lawmakers to rescind the Johnson Amendment.
JURORS: If you serve on a federal jury, your daily pay rate will increase to $50 per day. Two dozen federal grand jurors in D.C. petitioned lawmakers last fall, saying the current pay rate is “abysmal,” below the minimum wage and a hardship.
IRS: Despite administration’s attempts to slash its budget, lawmakers grant $11.431B to the nation’s tax collectors, a $196M year-to-year increase and $456M more than Trump requested. The figure includes $320M to implement changes enacted as part of the GOP tax reform plan.
MILITARY AIRCRAFT: The spending bill includes $739M to purchase 10 additional F/A-18 Super Hornets and $2.67B for 20 additional F-35 Lightning II.
MILITARY PAY AND PERKS: The troops will get a 2.4% pay raise, the highest in eight years.
PUBLIC BROADCASTING: Big Bird, the Antiques Roadshow and @washingtonweek can play on as federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will remain at $465M, same level as past years. Remember: @PBS & @NPR draw most of their $$ directly from viewers like you.
SCIENCE FUNDING: Democrats are touting a $295M increase for the National Science Foundation; a $234M boost for NOAA; and another $1.08B for NASA – including $350M for a new mobile launch platform.
SECRET SERVICE: The agency gets $2.007B, including $9.9M for overtime worked without pay in '17 and $14M to construct a new White House fence. The bill requires an annual report on travel costs for people protected by the service – including the adult children of presidents.
SMITHSONIAN: There’s $1.043B for the nation’s premier museum chain, including $198 million for renovations at the popular National Air and Space Museum.
TOBACCO: Lawmakers inserted language yet again that blocks certain tobacco products from hitting the market without review by the FDA. Republicans have been pushing to do so for years, but Dems usually block the change.
UKRAINE: There’s $200 million “for lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine to counter Russian aggression,” according to congressional Democrats.
YUCCA MOUNTAIN: The legislation blocks attempts by @ENERGY to restart the nuclear storage program in the Silver State. This is a big win for the Nevada delegation.
Also spotted by @mikedebonis: RESTAURANT TIPS: The spending bill spells out explicitly in law that tip pooling is not permitted. That's a rebuke of a proposed rules change by @USDOL.
