In push to cut spending, U.S. House spares itself

Source: Reuters

In push to cut spending, U.S. House spares itself

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON | Fri Jun 8, 2012 5:27pm EDT

(Reuters) - After seeking to impose substantial spending cuts on a wide range of non-defense programs this year, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted to keep its own administrative budget unchanged.

House lawmakers then left Washington for a week-long recess.

The $1.23 billion budget for fiscal 2013 House operations - including staff salaries, member expenses and committee budgets - was approved on a 307-102 vote as part of a $3.33 billion spending bill for the legislative branch of the federal government.

The House portion of the budget was kept unchanged after being cut the two previous fiscal years, marking a 10.5 percent reduction since 2010.

The House has voted to make deep cuts to a number of social programs, such as food stamps and the Medicaid health care program for the poor, in order to protect defense spending from automatic spending cuts. The House has approved, on average, cuts of around 5 percent to federal agency budgets and other discretionary spending from last year.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/08/us-usa-congress-budget-idUSBRE8571D020120608