House spending bill for D.C. includes funding cuts, abortion ban

The House Appropriations Committee unveiled the first draft of its 2012 spending bill for the District Wednesday morning, a measure that cuts federal payments to D.C. by close to 10 percent but mostly spares the city from restrictive “riders” on social policy.

The bill — which will be considered by an Appropriations subcommittee Thursday — does include a ban on the District using its own funds to pay for abortions for low-income women. That prohibition, which Republicans imposed during their last tenure in the House majority, was also included in the short-term spending deal agreed to in April by President Obama and the GOP. The agreement sparked anger and protests among local officials.

The new measure also includes a ban on the use of federal funding for the District’s needle-exchange and medical marijuana programs but, notably, does not prevent the city from using local money for those items. The bill is silent regarding the city’s same-sex marriage and gun-control laws.

Those omissions represent a victory for local activists, but only a temporary one. Language on those issues could still be added via amendment, either when the measure reaches the full Appropriations Committee or when it hits the House floor.

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