Highlights of House wrapup legislation
The Associated PressHighlights of the year-end wrapup legislation that passed the House Wednesday:
DEFENSE SPENDING
_$636 billion for the Pentagon for the budget year that began Oct. 1, including $128 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
_3.4 percent pay increase for service members.
_$104 billion for weapons procurement, including 30 next-generation Joint Strike Fighters, 10 C-17 Cargo jets not requested by President Barack Obama and $15 billion for seven new Navy ships. Shuts down the costly F-22 fighter program and the much-criticized new presidential helicopter.
_Rejects Obama's request for $100 million to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.
_Permits Guantanamo detainees to be transferred to the U.S. to stand trial.
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EXTENSIONS OF CURRENT LAW UNTIL FEB. 28
_Continued unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless.
_65 percent health insurance subsidy for the unemployed.
_Highway and transit funding.
_Prevents a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians.
_Three provisions of the anti-terror Patriot Act.
_Satellite television laws governing the transmission of local broadcast signals.
_Waives fees on Small Business Administration loans and increases to 90 percent the portion of such loans guaranteed by the SBA.
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DEBT LIMIT
_Permits the national debt to increase to $12.4 trillion — a $290 billion increase — sufficient to finance government operations through February 11.
_The defense bill, which contains the extensions of current law, passed 395-34, with a Senate vote expected by Saturday. The debt limit measure passed 218-214 and also must be considered by the Senate in the coming week.