Congress Approves Bill to Re-Open Federal Government, Raise Debt Ceiling

Congress has approved a bill to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling until Feb. 7, and President Obama promised to sign the legislation immediately, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal workers could be back at work Thursday, the Washington Post reported Wednesday evening

The move came 16 days after the federal shutdown began and one day before the United States would have exhausted its ability to borrow money, the Post reported.

The New York Times headlined their reports: 

CONGRESS PASSES DEBT DEAL

Fiscal Impasse Ends; G.O.P. Backs Down

Congressional Republicans conceded defeat Oct. 16 in their bitter budget fight with Obama over his new health care law, agreeing to end the 16-day government shutdown and extend federal borrowing power, the Times reported.

The congressman for the Pass area, Raul Ruiz, D-Palm Desert, released the following statement Wednesday evening:

"Today I voted for a pragmatic solution to end the government shutdown and avert a financial crisis by raising the debt ceiling. While this bill is not perfect, it is a step in the right direction to ensure that our recovering economy continues to grow, our veterans and seniors continue to receive critical benefits they earned, and the United States fulfills its commitment to pay its debts.

"This was a manufactured crisis created by extremists who refuse to acknowledge that Americans are sick and tired of partisan gridlock and political brinksmanship. I hope that Republicans in the House have finally gotten the message, and that they don't create another crisis a few months from now. Congress must work together to avoid a future crisis that could derail our economic recovery, jeopardize our country’s credit rating, and put our most vulnerable citizens at risk.

"As we move forward, we need to put people above partisanship and solutions above ideology. I stand ready to work with my colleagues in both political parties toward that end."