Washington (CNN) — An agreement to end the partial government shutdown and avoid a possible U.S. default easily passed the U.S. Senate and headed to the House for a vote expected later Wednesday.
If approved by the Republican-led House, the legislation would go to President Barack Obama to be signed into law by the end of Thursday — the deadline for increasing the federal borrowing limit or risk the first default in American history.
The measure represented a victory for Obama and Democrats over conservative Republicans who tried to use the shutdown and debt ceiling deadline to wring concessions on spending cuts and dismantling the Obama’s signature health care reforms.
However, the final agreement worked out by Senate leaders after House Speaker John Boehner was unable to get his own Republican caucus to support a House GOP version lacked any substantive measures sought by political right beyond extending current spending levels until January 15.
Source: Tom Cohen, CNN
