Congress Sends Bush $388 Bln Spending Bill

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress on Monday removed a clause in a $388 billion spending bill that would have allowed some lawmakers to snoop on individual tax returns, and the action cleared the way for President Bush to sign the bill into law.

The provision, which would have given lawmakers and staff on the appropriations committees broad access to tax returns, provoked outrage from members of both parties.

The measure was added to the bill last month by a Republican staff member in the House of Representatives as lawmakers rushed to finish it in late night discussions before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Democrats refused to allow the bill, which easily passed the House and Senate on Nov. 20, to be sent to Bush until the measure had been removed and until they had more time to check the bill. Meantime, temporary spending measures had to be approved to make sure the government could pay its bills.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=7009732