The federal government’s partial shutdown has ended after 16 days and the debt ceiling has been raised.
“The GOP-led House gave the final stamp of approval to the Senate-brokered bill, passing it easily late Wednesday night. But it wasn’t Republicans who made it happen; a majority of that party’s caucus actually voted against the measure, which only passed because of overwhelming Democratic support,” according to CNN.
The Affordable Care Act, often referenced as Obamacare, was largely unchanged in the final deal.
“Republicans got a slight tightening of income verification rules for Americans accessing new health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act,” according to the New York Times.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) scrambled Tuesday night to broker a deal after a called vote in the House of Representatives. The Senate voted first Wednesday followed by the House.
“Obama signed the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, shortly after midnight. The continuing resolution is effective retroactively to Oct. 1 and funds the government through Jan. 15, 2014. The debt limit has been extended through Feb. 7,” according to Politico.