US Senate Deal Ends Govt Shutdown Wed Oct 16,2013

Sixteen days after the U.S. federal government shutdown resulted in the furlough of more than 700,000 workers and with less than 24 hours remaining before a critical funding deadline passed, the U.S. Senate has announced a deal that will end the Govt Shutdown and avert default but require a review of the debt ceiling to $16.7 trillion until February 7 2014.

The government funding and debt limit bill signed Wednesday night sets a Dec. 13 deadline for budget negotiators to report back to Congress. If no deal is struck, Congress will have until Jan. 15 to approve continued government funding or face another shutdown.

Shortly after noon on Wednesday Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell announced a compromise that was expected to pass in the upper house of Congress and then face a vote in the House of Representatives where Republicans, facing a wall of national criticism for seeking to tie debt negotiations to their plans to defund “Obamacare,”

The Senate bill announced today by Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell extends government financing until January 15,2014 and puts off the prospect of another debt ceiling breach until February 7, 2014 it allows for closer review of those who participate in healthcare insurance exchanges, a key element of the rollout of the ACA that kicked in earlier this month

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., during a news conference after passing a bill to raise the debt ceiling and fund the government on Capitol Hill on Oct. 16, 2013 in Washington

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted 285-144 in favour of the bill, even though most Republicans voted against it.

 In the Democrat-controlled Senate, approval was even more lopsided, 81-18.

Note
US  Congress has 535 voting members -

•  435 House of Representatives and 
• 100 Senators