Congress passes FY12 spending bill, including funding for global health

"The Senate on Saturday passed the final spending bills for 2012, eliminating the risk of a government shutdown until next fall," National Journal reports (Snell/Friedman, 12/17). The House passed the measure on Friday, National Journal notes (Goldmacher/Friedman, 12/16). According to Inter Press Service, "U.S. foreign aid and support for multilateral institutions emerged in somewhat better shape than many observers had expected" (Lobe, 12/16).

Information on the FY 2012 Appropriations legislation, which includes funding for global health programs through the State Department, USAID, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Defense (DoD), is available through the Kaiser Family Foundation's Policy Tracker (12/15).