US Senate strikes deal to avoid default, over to House
Thursday, 17/10/2013
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
WASHINGTON: The Republican and Democrat leaders of the US senate struck a deal to avoid a debt default and reopen the government on Wednesday — potentially ending an impasse that has had the world on edge. But the deal still has to be passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives first.
The bill pushes the debt default deadline to February 7 and will fund the government till January 15. The agreement requires a broad budget deal by mid-December and tweaks the healthcare law — popularly called Obamacare.
The bipartisan deal was announced by Senate majority leader and Democrat Harry Reid and minority Republican leader Mitch Mcconnell.
“Our country came to the brink of disaster, but in the end political adversaries set aside... their differences,” said Reid, adding the US will live up to its obligations.
The focus now shifts to the House – likely to vote first on the measure — and speaker John Boehner, who is struggling to control conservative Republicans opposed to any deal that doesn’t delay or defund ‘Obamacare’.
Boehner is likely to put the measure to a vote in the House as is and depend on the minority Democrats to pass it.
President Barack Obama has urged Congress to move swiftly to approve the deal and reopen the US government and remove the threat of a potentially devastating default.
