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| US House approves $410 bn for 2009 spending |
| AFP/ PTI / Washington Feb 26, 2009, 10:41 IST |
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The US House of Representatives has approved a belated $410 billion package to pay for government operations until fiscal year 2010 begins October 1.
Two weeks after the Democratic-led Congress passed Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package, lawmakers voted 245-178 in favor of the legislation, which now goes to the Senate.
Republicans, who lack the votes to block the measure in the House but could delay it in the Senate, have denounced the package's eight-percent spending increase overall and a multitude of pet projects in the mammoth measure.
The measure includes about $20.5 billion for the US Department of Agriculture, including two billion to help the Food and Drug Administration to improve food security.
One clause forbids the department from allowing imports of potentially harmful poultry from China.
The US Justice Department would get some $57.7 billion, including $7.1 billion for the FBI in a bid to help the bureau hire 280 new agents and 271 analysts.
Foreign affairs monies run about $36.6 billion, including $2.4 billion for Israel and $1.5 billion for Egypt.
The legislation also includes hundreds of individual pet projects known as "earmarks" that have drawn fire, chiefly from Republicans, with government revenues feeling the pinch of the global financial crisis.
"This is absolutely crazy," Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner said in an online video. "We need some spending sanity here in Washington."
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