Obama thanks Senate for passing debt deal, pledges to sign it ‘immediately’ after House vote
Posted October 16, 2013 8:29 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is thanking Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate for passing a deal to end the partial government shutdown and avert a default.
The Senate has voted to avoid a financial default and reopen the government after a 16-day partial shutdown.
The vote was 81-18 Wednesday night. The measure now heads to the House, which is expected to back the bill before day’s end.
Senate passage came several hours after Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the bipartisan compromise.
U.S. President Obama says if and when the House approves the bill, he’ll sign it immediately. He says the U.S. will start reopening the government right away.
The bill would reopen the government through Jan. 15 and permit the Treasury to borrow normally through Feb. 7 or perhaps a month longer.
Obama says now it’s time to win back the trust of Americans that’s been lost during the crisis.
He spoke at the White House minutes after the Senate passed the measure. The bill calls for opening the government through Jan. 15 and extending the nation’s borrowing authority through Feb. 7.
Obama says once these issues are resolved, he wants to move forward this year on immigration, farm legislation and a larger budget deal.
U.S. Congress faced a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Thursday. That’s when Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew had said the government would reach the current $16.7 trillion debt limit and could no longer borrow to meet its obligations.
