Verge: US Gov't Senators agree on plan to end shutdown

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have agreed on a plan to reopen the federal government after two weeks of shutdown... As part of the compromise, the US budget will be extended through January 14th, 2014, and the debt limit will be suspended until February 7th — once again punting an issue Congress has been debating for years. A committee will look at more expansive plans for a budget later this year, with a report due December 13th. The ACA itself remains undelayed and largely unchanged, except for tougher checks on the income of people receiving government health-care subsidies.

The agreement comes one day before the Treasury Department warned that the US was in danger of defaulting on its loans. It still needs to be made official in both the Senate and the House — where hard-line Tea Party members have so far derailed negotiations. With McConnell and Reid in agreement, however, Congress looks to be falling into line. One of the ACA's major opponents, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), has also said he will not oppose this compromise, and McConnell says that Republicans will move to discussing other issues for the time being.

The Verge: Senate leaders agree on plan to end government shutdown

@animasta So, everything's okay, now? *squints* It doesn't look like much got done. I think. I'm thinking, that they just post-poned um, everything important. I also don't know politics much so, O_o

The House hasn't voted on it, and they were the problem all along. So...

Anyways, US politics is fucked right now, and before Gerrymandering goes, it probably won't get any better. Whatever you think of Obamacare, if the Republicans had "won" this one, it would've set an awful precedent for how the US operates.

And there was much rejoicing. (in the form of nobody giving a shit other than the poor folks forced to temporarily leave their federal jobs who still won't really know what's going on)

This has been the best season yet of Dumb Politicians. I want to get the blu ray when it comes out. So much drama!

I'm fairly sure it already has set an awful precedent. When a small group of a certain political party can cause the shutdown of a government at their seeming whim, just 'cause they don't like something that was passed and passed again, that ain't no democracy man.

Politics are politics, here or anywhere else. All they do, is yell at the same time with no solution for the people...

Hope it ends. Not because it actually affects anything, but because people are out of work.

The Tea Party is one of the worst things ever.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/business/economy/high-cost-to-the-economy-from-the-fiscal-impasse.html

@alexw00d: Of course, but it would be 10x worse if they actually got a "deal" regarding Obamacare. It's still funny/sad that the people who claim to love the Constitution the most set this trainwreck in motion, even after the Supreme Court upheld most of the law. That anyone can even try to justify it says alot about the current US political climate. As I said, before Gerrymandering is fixed, this probably won't get any better. But I won't hold my breath here.

When China says they are sending their best to help the US figure out our finance's, something is F'ed up. All I know is, Hey government, Resume your damn duty and hire my ass so I can stop working for sprint. Thanks!

Democrats, at least, 'won' this little charade; the republicans got nothing they wanted beyond an income verification that won't delay anything.

@animasta:

That's true, to an extent. The whole thing was a political dick waving competition from the start. It is simply about positioning and leveraging donations in the coming years. Cruz will be able to run campaign ads stating that he "fought for the people" and the money will pour in. Dems will have positive points they can run on too. None of this is even about the country, it's just about getting out of it without looking like a complete twat to your constituents.

Senators and Congressmen need term limits. Needs to be a constant stream of fresh blood and fresh ideas coming into the capitol building. Get rid of these career senators and congresspeople.

It's the House we need to worry about, not the Senate. The House is chock full of nutjobs who are willing to drive the world economy into a ditch (along with millions of federal jobs) for the sake of what they think is some sort of freedom.

This is more an indication on just how fractured/weak the GOP leadership is. There was never any sign of The Dems breaking ranks in either the Senate or the even the House or POTUS to end the stand off. On the other hand, the Speaker had at least two failed attempts (three technically) at bringing something to the floor.

Boehner could not bring up either the GOP or Dem versions because they'll fail due to dissension from his own party. What good is being leader of the House if you keep getting undermined by your own party?

Thanks Obama.

@devilzrule27: That would help to an extent, but the big problem is (as I've said in other posts) Gerrymandering. It creates "safe seats" for both parties where politicians are far more worried about their own hardcore base than anything else.

The income verification was already there, they just made it tougher. They essentially got nothing but bad press.

While I agree in general, the problem this time wasn't caused by career politicians, but the new blood that came in with little political experience and knowledge. Career Senators and Representatives fell in line with them because they were scared of being primaried by others with little political experience and knowledge.