Sen. Sessions Warns of Billions in Costs Hidden in Bill

An appropriations bill expected to be passed in the Senate on Tuesday that promises to cut annual spending by $1 billion will actually increase spending by $9 billion, warned Senate Budget Committee member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

Sessions attributed the nine-fold increase to an expected surge in disaster relief spending in fiscal 2012, from $101 million to $2.7 billion, reports DailyCaller.com.

HR 2112, a so-called “mini-bus” bill that Sessions referred to as a “slush fund” backed by “logic that only exists in Washington,” comprises three bills that fund agencies including the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. It comes with hidden cost increases that its backers have concealed creatively, according to the lawmaker.

“It just cannot be contended that this is serious work toward reducing our deficit,” Sessions said. “It just cannot be.”