A U.S. was averted at the last minute Friday night after the House and Senate reached a temporary spending agreement.
The measure, which will keep the government running until Thursday, postponed an impending furlough of some 800,000 federal workers.
Friday’s “bridge” agreement calls for $39 billion in short-term spending cuts, and pushes off the contentious issue of abortion funding, which Republicans sought to block.
By Thursday, the House and Senate will schedule votes on a longer-term budget that will carry the government through Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.
The news was greeted with a mixture of relief over a crisis averted, and frustration over continued wrangling that will spill into next week. And harsh rhetoric left its mark.
Throughout the afternoon leading up to the midnight deadline, Democrats said abortion funding was a crucial sticking point, as Republicans held fast to their demand to cut off Title 10 “women’s health” programs. Roughly 25 percent of Title 10 funds go to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading abortion provider.
One-third of Planned Parenthood’s annual $1.1 billion budget comes from the taxpayers, and Democrats were equally determined to keep the money flowing. Both sides reportedly agreed to vote on the issue separately next week.
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