President Barack Obama signed into law a temporary spending bill that will keep the government running for another six weeks. The new measure, called the “Continuing Resolution Act, 2012” will allocate $2.65 billion in disaster relief for damages caused by Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee, tornadoes and wildfires. Congress must now use the time until November 18 to complete agency budgets for the new fiscal year.
Government spending has been characterized by a sharp partisan divide, with tea party-backed Republicans pushing for further spending cuts. With the additional time, lawmakers are now combining appropriations bills into one and incorporating spending limits set earlier in the year.
