14 Jan 2014 - Congressional negotiators unveiled a bipartisan [DemocRATic surrender], 1.1 trillion spending bill Monday night that will reverse a 1 percent cut to cost-of-living increases for disabled veterans and provide 1.525 billion in aid to [the military dictatorship in] Egypt, among other provisions. The measure fleshes out the details of the budget deal that Congress passed last month; it would fund the government through October. Liberals are more likely to climb aboard, but only after voting to give Obama about 6 billion more in Pentagon war funding than the 79 billion he requested.
New Homeland Security headquarters costing extra billions –DHS eye-sore is $3.2B over budget and ten years behind schedule 13 Jan 2014 Building a new Department of Homeland Security headquarters is not only taking extra years, but extra billions of taxpayer d*llars. A new staff report from Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., chairman of the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, says a “reality check” is needed about the escalating costs and delays of the new DHS headquarters. DHS has also pushed back the completion date of the entire facility, which includes new senior leadership offices and other operations, to 2026 — 10 years beyond the originally scheduled finish time.
Iran to get first 550 million of blocked 4.2 billion on February 1 12 Jan 2014 Iran would receive the first 550 million installment of a total of 4.2 billion in previously blocked overseas funds on or about February 1, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday. Under a November 24 nuclear agreement, six major powers agreed to give Iran access to 4.2 billion in revenues blocked overseas if it carries out the deal, which offers sanctions relief in exchange for steps to curb the Iranian nuclear program. Some payments are contingent on Iran diluting its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium to no more than 5 percent enriched uranium. [Why aren't the US and Israel forced to destroy *their* enriched uranium?]
Paul Ryan Justifies Cutting Veteran Pensions: “We Just Freed Up $6 Billion For Readiness”