Reps and Dems Avoid Government Shutdown…For Now

While congressional Republicans and Democrats could not could not cross party lines and work out a solution to avoid the automated $85 billion federal spending cuts known as the sequester, they did come together on Wednesday to avoid a complete government shutdown.

By a vote of 267 to 151, with most Republicans supporting the stopgap measure, the House of Representatives approved a measure that will extend the spending cuts that went into effect on March 1 and keep the government funded through the end of the current fiscal year. The Republican-sponsored bill provided $982 billion that will be necessary to keep federal agencies in action when the current funding mechanism expires on March 27.

“The House has taken the first step towards assuring the American people that the federal government will stay open, which President Obama agrees should be our shared goal,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement seen by The Wall Street Journal. “The Senate should pass the House measure without delay.”