Budget Details Slow To Emerge, Even To Congress

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http://www.npr.org/2011/04/10/135289353/despite-agreement-budget-details-slow-to-emerge

For the moment, the budget debate is all over but the shouting. After lawmakers reached an eleventh-hour deal Friday night, President Barack Obama signed a temporary spending bill into place Saturday to keep the lights on at government agencies while Congress prepares the final budget for a vote this week.

Meanwhile, spending committee czars and their staffs are still laying out the specifics on the spending agreement, which will cut $38 billion over the next six months. The details are just starting to emerge, and lawmakers are realizing they've got a deal in hand, but not much else.

"It's a not a very pleasant experience to be forced to vote for something before you know the contents of it," says Rep. George Miller, a Democrat from California.

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Miller is a veteran liberal lawmaker. West a freshman Republican, popular with Tea Party activists. NPR caught up with them on their way home to their districts. Their reactions tell the story of how tough this process of compromise has been. Neither was especially pleased with the deal.