After two weeks of pressure and on-again, off-again negotiations, Congress reached agreement Wednesday evening to end the government shutdown and avert a debt default. The deal creates a new set of deadlines – and the potential for future stand-offs. House and Senate budget conferees are directed to submit a budget report by December 13. Government […]

Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell were filling out the details Tuesday night on a deal to avert a federal debt default, reports Politico. But the House appears in disarray, after a day in which Speaker John Boehner was unable to garner enough support to pass his own proposed debt deal, according to the Wall Street […]

Leaders in the Senate announced they were close to a deal to end the government shutdown and avoid a federal debt default in the next few days, reports the Wall Street Journal. The deal would fund the federal government until January 15 and raise the debt ceiling until February 15. It assumes both parties would […]

Senate leaders started negotiations this weekend to end the budget and debt ceiling standoffs, reports the Washington Post. Republicans are standing firm on lower spending levels, according to The Hill. Senator John McCain called for greater involvement by President Obama, and quipped, “It’s time to get Joe Biden out of the witness protection program.”  Finally, […]

President Obama and House Republican leaders held extended talks Thursday as both sides groped to find a way out of an impending federal debt default, reports Politico. House Republicans floated a proposal to increase the debt ceiling for six weeks with no preconditions early in the day, but Senate Democrats quickly rejected it, according to […]