Senate Approves Bill to Reopen Government, Avert Default

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Roll Call has this story. Excerpt:

The Senate approved a bill to reopen the government and avert default Wednesday night, 16 days into a government shutdown and a day before the Treasury Department’s debt limit deadline.

The legislation, crafted by negotiations between the Senate’s two leaders, Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada and Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, passed on a wide bipartisan vote, 81-18, despite defections from the chamber’s most conservative members who had hoped to defund the president’s health care law in exchange for reopening the government. …

All eyes are now on the House, where Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, has supported the Reid-McConnell framework but likely will lose a large number of Republicans on the vote. …

“This shutdown caused terrible, unnecessary pain for Hawaii families, and we are all relieved that it is nearly over,” saidU.S. Senator Brian Schatz. “It’s time for Congress to get back to work, and focus on helping the middle class.

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Photo: U.S. Capitol Rotunda. (Civil Beat)

—Chad Blair

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