Budget -- Senate Adopts FY09 Resolution: In a near-party line vote, the Senate passed a $3.03 trillion budget blueprint yesterday, 48-45. The resolution moves over to the House, which is expected hold a vote on it today. The thorniest long-term fiscal policy questions (about the AMT, extending the Bush tax cuts, etc.) will probably be deferred to the next Congress and the new president, but the appropriations process will at least start by regular order, at least in the House. Statement of Senate Budget Committee chair Kent Conrad (D-ND).

By a 48-45 vote, the Senate approved a $3.03 trillion spending blueprint for FY 2009. The resolution's $1.013 trillion domestic spending level tops the president's request by some $24.5 billion. CQ ($- sorry): The conference agreement on the budget blueprint was adopted 48-45 on a largely party-line vote. To accommodate the absences of hospitalized Sens. Edward Kennedy, D- Mass., and Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., Republican Sens. John W. Warner of Virginia and Pete V. Domenici withheld their "no" votes, pairing with the ailing Democrats.

Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Tom Carper (D-DE), and John McCain (R-AZ) introduced new legislation on June 3 as a follow-up to the 2006 Transparency Act. The bill, the Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act (S. 3077), would augment the 2006 law but go further, making important new data more easily accessible to the public and making it easier for citizens to hold our government accountable for the fiscal stewardship of our shared resources.

In a post over at inclusionist, Shawn Fremstad makes a crucial point about federal health care spending. In fact, the 2nd biggest health care entitlement isn't Medicaid, it's the $200+ billion tax break for employer-sponsored health insurance. The health insurance tax break costs around $30 billion more than Medicaid and, if my recollection is correct, is increasing at a faster rate than either Medicaid or Medicare. It's also, unlike Medicare or Medicaid, a regressive tax subsidy that provides more benefits for the wealthy.