House Votes to Pay Nation’s Bills, Tosses In a Bit for Itself

The House of Representatives decided it was worth keeping this whole America thing going, and passed a temporary spending bill while lawmakers hammered out the usual long-term budgets. The new funds will help keep the Postal Service afloat and expand House office budgets by 8 percent.

The average House staffer isn’t exactly raking it in, and assuming this expanded budget isn’t going toward a cushier chair for the big cheese, perhaps a raise is in order.

But then again, if a global economic meltdown isn’t an occasion for belt-tightening, what is?  —PS

AP via Yahoo:

The underlying House-Senate compromise on the congressional operations budget was non-controversial. All told, Congress is rewarding itself with a 6 percent budget boost, though the $51 million increase for the House office budget account represents an 8 percent increase.

The Senate rewarded itself with a 6 percent boost for its office accounts.

The financially struggling Postal Service would be allowed to delay $4 billion in payments due next month to a health care fund for retirees. Some $5.4 billion is supposed to be paid into the Retiree Health Benefits Fund, but Postal officials say they don’t have enough money to make the payment.

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Flickr / gregwest98

The rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.