Democrats unveil spending bill to keep the government running

None of the 12 annual
spending bills have been signed into law.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Democrats unveiled legislation Tuesday to keep the government running until mid-November, giving them more time to bridge gaping differences with President Bush over the budget.

The stopgap legislation is needed as the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year looms with none of the 12 annual spending bills, which fund government agencies and departments, signed into law.

At the same time, the bill temporarily extends health coverage for children from low-income families as Congress and Bush wrangle over how much to expand the program, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP.

The House passed a compromise SCHIP measure Tuesday night, but Bush has promised a veto, saying the bill would expand the program beyond its original goal of covering poor children.

Only four of the annual appropriations bills have passed both House and Senate, and Democrats don’t seem eager to start a protracted veto battle that would underscore the vulnerability of their position. Some lawmakers are already worried that the battles with Bush could keep Congress in session until Christmas.

The stopgap spending bill would fund at current levels the budgets of 15 Cabinet departments and dozens of agencies until Nov. 16.

The measure also provides $5.2 billion to provide additional heavy armored vehicles that offer better protection to troops in Iraq from roadside bombs.

The measure also provides additional resources for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan that lawmakers believe will provide enough to maintain the accelerated tempo in Iraq until Congress and Bush sort out his huge request for the war.