November 17, 2011 2:01PM # Thoughts on the ‘Minibus’ Spending Bill By [Tad DeHaven](https://www.cato.org/people/tad-dehaven) --- SHARE The House is scheduled to vote this evening on a fiscal 2012 “minibus” packaging of three appropriations bills (Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation-HUD) agreed to in conference on Monday. It includes a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through December 16th, thus avoiding a government “shutdown.” In sum, I think the bill is largely business as usual, although policymakers and those who subsist on the federal programs funded by the affected agencies will claim otherwise: - The legislation provides funding at the higher levels sought by the Democratic-controlled Senate – about $5.4 billion more than what the Republican-controlled House wanted. Overall funding versus fiscal 2011 is flat, but lower than fiscal 2010. It’s less than what the president wanted to spend, but that hurdle was so low a mouse would have tripped over it. - It includes $2.3 billion for disaster spending, which is excluded from the budget caps negotiated as part of the deal to increase the debt ceiling. - Some programs saw cuts, some programs saw increases. Anything of consequence that would rein in the size and scope of government? Not that I can see. - The housing lobbyists win again: the bill increases the size limit on mortgages that Federal Housing Administration can insure to $729,750. That principled decision was made at a time when a [taxpayer bailout of the FHA](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190504577038072720745902.html) is becoming increasingly likely. Once again, Congress hits the snooze button. ##### Related Tags [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Department of Housing and Urban Development](https://www.cato.org/department-housing-urban-development), [Downsizing Government](https://www.cato.org/downsizing-government) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).