Politics
U.S govt shutdown: Republicans blink as Obama stands his ground
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a statement about the re-opening of government following a 2 week shutdown. PHOTO/Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Facing a deadline, Congress passed and sent a waiting President Barack Obama legislation late Wednesday night to avoid a threatened national default and end the 16-day partial government shutdown, the culmination of an epic political drama that placed the U.S. economy at risk.
The Senate voted first, a bipartisan 81-18. That cleared the way for a final 285-144 vote in the Republican-controlled House about two hours later on the bill, which hewed strictly to the terms Obama laid down when the twin crises erupted more than three weeks ago.
The legislation would permit the U.S. Treasury to borrow normally through February 7 or perhaps a month longer, and fund the government through January 15.
More than 2 million federal workers would be paid – those who had remained on the job and those who had been furloughed.
After the Senate approved the measure, Obama hailed the vote and quickly signed the bill early Thursday. “We’ll begin reopening our government immediately, and we can begin to lift this cloud of uncertainty from our businesses and the American people,” the president said.
In the House, Rep. Harold Rogers, (Republican, Kentucky), said, “After two long weeks, it is time to end this government shutdown. It’s time to take the threat of default off the table. It’s time to restore some sanity to this place.”
The stock market surged higher at the prospect of an end to the crisis that also had threatened to shake confidence in the U.S. economy overseas.
