{{US Congress passed an 11th-hour deal Wednesday night to bring an end to a two-week government shutdown and avert a debt default in a bipartisan deal 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 bill to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, which passed it late Wednesday night 285-144. President Barack Obama signed the legislation shortly after midnight Thursday.
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.
The bill reopens the government until January 15 and permits the Treasury to borrow normally up to February 7. It includes nothing for Republicans demanding to eradicate or scale back Obama’s signature health care overhaul.
“We fought the good fight. We just didn’t win,” conceded House Speaker John Boehner as lawmakers lined up to vote on the bill.
Taking the podium in the White House briefing room after the Senate vote and just before the House took up the measure, Obama said that with final congressional passage, “We can begin to lift this cloud of uncertainty and unease from our businesses and from the American people”.
“Hopefully next time it won’t be in the 11th hour,” Obama said. “We’ve got to get out of the habit of governing by crisis.”
Less than an hour later, as debate began in the House, Republican Rep. Harold Rogers 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.”
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