Posted: Dec 16, 2011 7:12 PM by Marnee Banks (KXLH Helena)
WASHINGTON, DC- Congress has agreed upon a 2012 budget and Montana's three Congressional delegates all say the plan is a compromise.
Every year Congress needs to pass 12 spending bills to keep government running, and due to the gridlock between Houses the final decision on 9 of those bills came down to the last minute.
Democrats and Republicans rolled the compromise into a $1 trillion omnibus bill.
"I am glad to see folks working together to put an end to continuous stop-gap measures and pass a long-term budget solution that gives folks the certainty and dependability of knowing the government services they count on will be there through the next fiscal year. This package may not be perfect, but it's a good compromise to ensure essential benefits and services will be there for our veterans, our seniors and all Montanans," Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) said
Baucus says the bill gives the post office more time to address its budgetary concerns. It also keeps the funding for pell grants for students which has been a priority for him.
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) says he is pleased with the funding for land and water conservation and a gray wolf livestock loss program.
"The Senate made some great strides in making this bill something that will work a lot better for Montana. It's certainly a lot better than what the House had been working on all year. That being said we need to continue to work to get our fiscal house in order, addressing the deficit and the debt in a major way in this country," Tester says.
Tester added the bill funds veterans programs including tele-health and mobile clinics for rural veterans.
However, Tester's Forest Jobs and Recreation Act isn't in the budget. His campaign asserts Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT) blocked the bill for political reasons. Rehberg is challenging Tester to his seat in 2012.
Rehberg's office denies the claim saying the bill wasn't good for Montana and that's why he worked to keep it out of the budget.
Rehberg chairs the subcommittee tasked with drafting one of the major spending bills. It includes the budget for education, health and human service and labor.
The bill was included in the omnibus package.
"What I'm pleased about is the fact that the spending is $1.2 billion less than last year. I think that's the message that was sent by the voters last November when they changed the majority in the House," Rehberg says.
However, even with a reduced budget Rehberg says he didn't get all the cuts he wanted. He had proposed to entirely eliminate co-op funding, a provision of the Affordable Care Act. The budget deal cuts $410 million from the program, but does not defund it.
The House passed the omnibus bill on Friday. The Senate is expected to pass it Saturday.
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