Final Spending Plan Cuts $40 Billion

The bipartisan plan to keep the government operating for the remainder of the fiscal year will reduce last year’s spending levels by $40 billion through a series of deep cuts from various agencies and programs.

According to details released Tuesday morning by the House Appropriations Committee,  $10.9 billion in cuts will be made from spending related to commerce, justice and science, with $6.5 billion from Commerce Department appropriations and an additional $946 million coming from the Justice Department.

Similarly, $784 million will be cut from the Department of Homeland Security, and will be partially achieved by capping the level TSA personnel at 46,000, reducing funding acquired via earmarks by $246 million and cutting deeply into FEMA First Responder Grants.

$1.6 billion will come from the EPA, with $149 million coming from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and $49 million from spending related to climate change.

Spending for “Financial Services and General Government” will be reduced by $2.4 billion. The section includes cutting spending for federal buildings by $800 million and language that would eliminate the ‘“Health Care Czar,” the “Climate Change Czar,” the “Car Czar,’ and the Urban Affairs Czar.”’

In addition, the plan will attempt to save $35 billion over the next decade by barring students from applying for more than one Pell Grant. While the program itself will remain funded, 55 other education programs will face reductions, totaling to more than $1 billion in savings.

$25 million comes from the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities.

$3 billion will be cut from Agriculture spending, including $10 million from Food Safety and Inspection. However, according to the Appropriations Committee, the inspections of meat, poultry and egg products will not be altered.

There are areas, however, where the new resolution increases spending. The Defense Department will receive $5 billion more than 2010, the National Nuclear Security Administration will receive $697 billion more, TARP’s Inspector General will be bolstered with $13 million more and Veteran’s Affairs programs will get an additional $600 million compared to last year.

When President Barack Obama announced last Friday that Congressional leaders had reached a consensus on a plan to fund the government for the remainder of the year, he promised the largest annual cut in American history, and noted that not all of the cuts will be popular.

 “Both sides had to make tough decisions and give ground on issues that were important to them,” Obama said.

The government currently has the funding to operate through Thursday. Congress will have until then to pass the bill.