Congress Sends President Obama the Bill to Reopen the Government, Update 11 P.M.
The Republican-controlled House voted late Wednesday night to pass the Senate's bill that raises the debt limit through February and puts an end to the 16-day federal government shutdown. The measure passed with a vote of 285-144. Eighty-seven Republican joined 198 Democrats to approve the bill. All 144 "no" votes came from Republicans.
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Senate Passes Bill to End Shutdown, Raise Debt Limit, Update 9:30 P.M.
The Senators who voted against the bill include:
Senate Set to Vote on Debt-Ceiling Deal, Update 7:29 P.M.
Here's the text of the bill, which also reimburses states that paid money for federal services (like National Parks) during the shutdown; includes funding for weather satellite programs at NOAA; ensures that furloughed employees "shall be compensated at their standard rate of compensation, for the period of such lapse in appropriations"; ensures that the District of Columbia will be funded until next September; and allocates an additional $600 million "for urgent wildfire suppression" in 2014. The bill also allocates $2.9 billion in funding to the Army Corps of Engineers for the Olmsted Locks and Dam project on the Ohio River, in Kentucky, which is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's home state.
Stupid Is as Stupid Does: U.S. Taxpayer Shutdown Tab Is $24 Billion, Update 6:39 P.M.
While we wait for the Senate to vote on the bill ending the shutdown, here's an early tally of the damage that's been done to the economy over the last 16 days: Analysts at Standard & Poor’s estimate that the shutdown has sucked $24 billion out of the economy, or at least 0.6 percentage points off of annualized fourth quarter GDP growth. If that's not bad enough, the agency also warned that the economic damage might not be over yet since the budget fight will go on.
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Sequester: The Next Big Battle for Congress, Update 3:15 P.M.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) explained his major budget goal on Wednesday: Continue to cut government spending.
In announcing a bipartisan deal to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling through early next year, McConnell tried to refocus a debate about the budget that had meandered into a futile skirmish over Obamacare.
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Can a Splintered GOP Pick Up the Pieces? Update 2:3O P.M.
What did Republicans get out of the shutdown, debt-ceiling standoff and two-week national freakout?
Nothing, writes Molly Ball at The Atlantic:
“Obamacare will not be repealed. Obamacare will not be defunded. Obamacare will not be delayed. The individual mandate will not be delayed. The medical-device tax will not be repealed. The health-insurance subsidies given to members of Congress and their staffs will not be taken away.
Democrats will get the government funded at levels they (grudgingly) sought in the first place, for longer than they originally sought, and without the looming threat of default.”
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Cruz Finally Blinks, Update 1:31 P.M.
With the day of reckoning upon us, Congress now appears on track to approve a bipartisan compromise today that would end the two-week old government shutdown and avert a first-ever default on U.S. debt.
After Tuesday’s political fiasco in the House in which Republicans failed to agree among themselves on the best way to end the fiscal crisis, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) today put the finishing touches on a bipartisan agreement that would break the political deadlock.
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Obama Welcomes Senate Deal, Update 1:20 P.M.
President Barack Obama is welcoming the Senate deal that will reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling until early next year, according to White House spokesman Jay Carney.
"The president applauds Leader [Harry] Reid and Minority Leader [Mitch] McConnell for working together to forge this compromise and encourages the Congress to act swiftly to end this shutdown and protect the full faith and credit of the United States of America," Carney said at a White House press briefing this morning.
Obama wants Congress to act "as soon as possible," Carney added.
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House Saves Face, Update 1:07 P.M.
Despite earlier reports that the House would take up the Senate’s deal first, the Senate is expected to vote first.
The House is expecting votes later this evening:
#GOP Whip's office: "We expect multiple vote series this afternoon and evening. The timing of the series remains unclear."
— Luke Russert (@LukeRussert) October 16, 2013
The prospects for the deal’s passage in the House are increasingly positive.
House Rs tell me they like that budget conference is being pushed by Sen leaders, gives room for Ryan and his allies to support the deal
— Robert Costa (@robertcostaNRO) October 16, 2013
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan told National Review’s Robert Costa that there has been no talk of “staging a coup” against Speaker Boehner.
GOP Rep. Jim Jordan: "absolutely no talk" of staging a coup against Speaker Boehner.
— Chris Moody (@Chris_Moody) October 16, 2013
House Republicans have surprisingly been supportive of the speaker.
Raul Labrador: "I've been really proud of Speaker Boehner. I'm more upset with my Republican conference."
Tea Party Finally Trusts Boehner, Update 12:40 P.M.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) finally seems to have gained the trust of Tea Party conservatives.
All it took was a government shutdown and threat of default threat in a botched attempt to stop Obamacare. The resulting bipartisan deal out of the Senate will come to the Senate floor, after Boehner failed to convince his caucus on Tuesday to vote for his slightly more onerous alternative to financing the government through Jan. 15 and raising the debt limit through Feb. 7.
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The Senate Has Reached a Deal, Update 12:10 P.M.
Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have finalized an agreement that would end the government shutdown and extend the country's borrowing authority until Feb. 7, averting the possibility of a default that could have plunged the economy into recession. The agreement would fund the government until Jan. 15, and require a committee of House and Senate negotiators to agree on a long-term budget blueprint by Dec. 13. The deal would also require income verification for people seeking subsidies for health insurance under Obamacare. If the debt ceiling is not raised again by Feb. 7, the Treasury Department would be able to again use extraordinary measures to meet its obligations.
The House is set to vote on the bill first, and Sen. Ted Cruz has said he will not block the deal in the Senate.
