New Short-Term Spending Bill Would Slash Agriculture Earmarks

The latest in a series of short-term spending bills that Congress will consider this week as lawmakers do battle over the longer-term funding of the government would leave key higher education programs unscathed but eliminate more than $100 million in earmarks for agriculture and other research programs that benefit colleges and universities. The measure, which House Republicans unveiled on Friday, would fund the federal government through April 8 while Congressional leaders and the White House negotiate over a bill to finance government operations through the rest of the 2011 fiscal year.