Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A rundown of the the budget deal

Congressio­nal leaders finalized a major budget deal Wednesday that would increase federal spending by more than $500 billion over the next two years. Congressio­nal aides and lawmakers familiar with the plan provided details of the framework Wednesday. Her

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Increases military and

domestic spending: Under the agreement, previously establishe­d defense spending limits would be lifted by $165 billion over two years — by $80 billion in the current fiscal year and $85 billion in the next one. Nondefense spending limits would be raised by $131 billion over two years — $63 billion this year and $68 billion in 2019. The agreement includes another $160 billion in unlimited spending on overseas Pentagon and State Department operations. Extends the nation’s borrowing authority: According to Rep. Chris Collins, R-N.Y., and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the plan will include a provision suspending what is known as the “debt ceiling” into next year.

Funds the Children’s Health Insurance Program for a

decade: Congress reauthoriz­ed the program for six years as part of a stopgap government funding bill they passed last month. The measure unveiled Wednesday extends that funding to a window of 10 years. The program helps about 9 million children and hundreds of thousands of pregnant women who cannot otherwise afford medical care.

$6 billion to address opioid addiction and mental health

issues: The money, allocated over two years, will go toward issues lawmakers in both parties have been increasing­ly speaking up about in recent months.

It also includes $4 billion to improve health care for veterans, $20 billion for infrastruc­ture improvemen­ts and $2 billion to support additional research at the National Institutes of Health. More funding for disaster

relief: The plan includes $90 billion more to be spent on disaster aid for recent hurricanes and wildfires, mostly in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Does not address ‘dreamers’:

While many Democrats had pushed for protection­s for young people brought to the United States as children, but who now live here illegally, the deal does not address those ‘dreamers.’ Nor does it tackle border security or legal immigratio­n laws, areas where some Republican­s are pushing for changes.

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