Operating under very tight budget constraints, Congress will keep federal spending flat next year — except for the wild horses of the West, who get an extra $12 million.

House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) unveiled a bill Tuesday to fund the government through the rest of the year that is in the spirit of Washington’s new austerity, saying the measure “prohibits funding for Congressional earmarks.”

While that is technically true, the bill does include money specifically aimed at addressing Members’ pet projects, from uranium mining to protecting presidential candidates to rounding up wild horses.

The continuing resolution, which the House approved Wednesday night, does not increase overall spending for the fiscal year. But it shifts money around, boosting funds for programs favored by the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats.

Obey took to the floor Wednesday to argue, in essence, that there is no way to simply extend last year’s spending levels, because things change over time.