The new federal budget

Spending bill unveiled: The good, the bad and the ugly (Click on this heading to read more)

Lawmakers unveiled the massive $1.1 trillion spending bill that will at least prevent another government shutdown for the next two years. Here are some highlights and lowlights (can you say ACORN?) of the omnibus spending bill.
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Let's start with the Affordable Care Act: it will continue to exist, which is enough to make at least a handful of House Speaker John Boehner's caucus revolt. They got their digs in, however, cutting $1 billion from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which Republicans have insisted is used as a "slush fund" to pay for the administration's dastardly efforts to help more people be healthier. The Independent Payment Advisory Board, aka "death panel" is cut by $10 million, because Republicans aren't interested in anything that could reduce health care spending or make it more rational.  This falls under the good category because there weren't more cuts.
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Falling under the partly good category, disabled veterans and war widows won't have their pensions cut, as the original bipartisan budget agreement required. Other veterans, sorry, you're just going to have to put more skin in the game because someone has to suffer.
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Low-income children, however, get a bit of a boost, with $8.6 billion allotted for Head Start, a $1.025 billion increase. That includes $500 million for Early Head Start and $250 million in grants for preschool programs.