Boston Globe / Democrats seek emergency funding

Congressional Democrats are up in arms over a Justice Department decision to suspend a grant program that offers funds to help firefighters and other emergency workers for terrorist attacks.

Congress is expected to approve a big increase, but the Senate and House of Representatives have not finished work on this year's appropriations bill for the Justice Department.

Under the continuing resolution that Congress enacted to keep the government running until Jan. 11, the department had continued to make grants - until last week.

There a minor penny-pinching measures going on right now - generally to press for budget increases and then not release the funds.