Democrats Make Concessions in Latest Version of Domestic Spending Bill

The Washington Post reports:

Congressional Democrats completed work last night on a sprawling, $515.7 billion domestic spending bill that would shave billions from cherished Democratic programs but would challenge President Bush's tough line on domestic spending with billions of dollars for added veterans care, border security and Southeastern drought relief...

Democratic aides said the aim is to win the president's signature by week's end, when Congress hopes to adjourn for the year. To do so, Democrats made scores of concessions, pulling hundreds of millions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health, special education and other programs they had said deserved far more than Bush was willing to spend. They also dropped a challenge to the president's policy of prohibiting aid to international family-planning groups that offer abortions.