Obama signs measure ending partial government shutdown
The White House. AFP FILE PHOTO
WASHINGTON — United States President Barack Obama has signed a measure passed by the US Congress ending the partial government shutdown and averting a default on government debt.
The White House budget office earlier said federal workers should plan to return to work Thursday morning (US Time).
Congress passed legislation Wednesday night to avert a U.S. debt default and end a government shutdown, a bipartisan deal set along President Barack Obama’s strict terms that left Republicans little to show for the epic political drama that threatened to rattle the world economy.
The Senate voted 81-18 to send the measure to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which passed it late in the evening 285-144. Obama pledged to sign it “immediately” after the House vote.
The bill reopens the government through Jan. 15 and permits the Treasury to borrow normally through Feb. 7 or perhaps a month longer. It includes nothing for Republicans demanding to eradicate or scale back Obama’s signature health care overhaul.
Congress had faced a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Thursday to raise the government’s borrowing authority or risk a default on its obligations.
“We fought the good fight. We just didn’t win,” conceded House Speaker John Boehner as lawmakers lined up to vote on the bill.
At the White House, Obama hailed the Senate’s vote, saying that once the measure reaches his desk, “I will sign it immediately. We’ll begin reopening our government immediately and we can begin to lift this cloud of uncertainty from our businesses and the American people.”
