After weeks
of tough negotiations on Capitol Hill, both parties put aside their differences
and finally reached a deal to reopen the government and allow
the U.S.
The U.S. House gave final approval
Wednesday night, just hours before default, on a U.S. Senate bipartisan deal to
end the partial government shutdown and avoid default. The plan passed by a 285
to 144 vote.
“I am extremely pleased that we’ve
reopened the government and that we are not going to default on our national
finances,” said Second District Congresswoman Shelley Moore
Capito (R-WV). She voted yes on the deal.
“This compromise we reached will
provide our economy with the stability it desperately needs,” said Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on the Senate floor.
“After weeks spent facing off across a
partisan divide that often seemed too wide to cross, our country came to
the brink of disaster. But, in the end, political adversaries set aside
their differences and disagreements to prevent that disaster.”
The deal passed by the House was past
earlier in the day by the U.S. Senate, the birthplace of the bipartisan plan.
The compromise was completed by Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky)
Wednesday morning.
The deal will reopen the government through
Jan. 15 and raise the debt ceiling until Feb. 7, allowing time for large scale
budget plans to eliminate the chances of future shutdowns or defaults.
Despite being called a bipartisan plan,
many House Republicans still were not happy but Capito said no bill was going
to be perfect.
“Nobody is going to be happy with this.
It doesn’t have everything in it that I would want but that’s what governing
and reaching conclusions is all about,” she said. “You can’t get everything you
want all the time.”
The final agreement makes only minor
changes to Obamacare by requiring income verification for people receiving
health care subsidies from the government. Capito said this deal is a good
starting point to maybe further talks regarding Obamacare and other budget issues.
“We really need to look at this
Obamacare question to see what kind of influence it’s having on jobs and on the
economy and I’m sure that will be part of the discussions,” she said.
The deal also authorizes a
bipartisan conference committee to work out a long-term budget
deal by Dec. 13, before government funding runs out again in January.
In a statement released following the
vote, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said he was pleased to see leaders set aside
their differences and come together in a bipartisan way to reach a
deal.
“The bottom line is that we managed to
avoid this self-inflicted wound to the national and global economy, but it is
past time for America
Manchin stated in the release. “I am hopeful that the development of the bipartisan, bicameral budget committee required under this agreement will be a first step in finding a balanced approach to reducing our deficit, balancing our budget, and responsibly reining in out-of-control spending.”
Manchin stated in the release. “I am hopeful that the development of the bipartisan, bicameral budget committee required under this agreement will be a first step in finding a balanced approach to reducing our deficit, balancing our budget, and responsibly reining in out-of-control spending.”
Without action, the U.S.
Capito said it is good they were able
to avoid default and end the shutdown, but she is concerned about the
damage done by letting the crisis go this long.
“I think that when people see something
like shutting the government down and taking us to the brink on the debt limit,
I think it erodes trust in government and I don’t think that’s healthy for
anybody and I don’t think it helps us in a global sense either,” she said.
Following the U.S. House approval of
the plan, the deal went straight to President Barack Obama’s desk for his
signature, making it official.
Next, negotiations were expected to begin Thursday on a
long-term budget deal.
