The Washington Post says the “smaller government” spending bill passed Thursday will mean less money for local cops, but more money for FBI agents and to fix crowded prisons. The House and Senate passed a bill that provided a detailed vision of the federal government on a diet. Lawmakers approved a $130.4 billion measure to fund five Cabinet departments, the first big budget bill since this summer's promise of greater austerity.
It was a guide to what this Congress cares about, now that it can't care about everything. The bill favors law enforcement agencies and programs that funnel money directly to voters. And it cuts programs that send cash to local government agencies — or other nonvoting recipients. The bill contains a provision that would fund the entire federal government until Dec. 16, averting a shutdown.