Cost of Doing Business

The funding for many federal agencies runs out next week, having been provided for only under an extension from last year's budgets. In order to fund agencies through the remainder of the fiscal year, the House votes today on the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009. While the House Rules Committee admits to $3.8 billion in earmarks, Taxpayers for Commonsense has been going through the bill with a fine-toothed comb and claims to have found $7.7 billion in disclosed earmarks alone. Here's a link to their table comparing types/amounts of earmarks between this year and last. The Senate will vote once this bill passes the House.