| ABC News | - |
Party
leaders have kept their promise of no government shutdown Wednesday
afternoon - at least for the time being. Congress passed a short-term
spending bill to fund the government ahead of the midnight deadline,
when the new fiscal year begins.
House Passes Funding Bill, Averts Government Shutdown
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Party leaders have kept their promise of no government shutdown Wednesday afternoon – at least for the time being.
Congress passed a short-term spending bill to fund the government ahead
of the midnight deadline, when the new fiscal year begins.
The Senate passed a continuing resolution Wednesday morning that will
fund the government at previous years’ levels. In the House, a minority
of Republicans joined with Democrats to send the bill to President
Obama’s desk. Most Republicans opposed the measure over concerns with
funding Planned Parenthood.
It will fund the government until Dec. 11, setting up a showdown in Congress down the road on several fronts.
The fiercest will be over long-term government funding. The
administration and Democrats want to lift sequester spending caps on
defense and domestic spending, while Republicans want to keep spending
in check.
Another looming standoff is over the debt ceiling.
The United States government will soon lose the ability to borrow
money, forcing Congress to hold a vote on raising the debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew recently informed Congress that the government won’t be able to pay its bills after October.
A summer patch in infrastructure funding is also set to expire on Oct.
29, when money will run out in the federal fund that pays for highway
repair projects. Lawmakers are working on a proposal to pay for
long-term infrastructure funding through international tax code reform.
Congressional leaders are preparing for budget negotiations to address the looming funding cliff and spending deadlines.
Democratic leaders recently met with President Obama, while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said Tuesday that Republicans are preparing for negotiations.
“The president and Speaker Boehner and I spoke about getting started on
the discussions last week,” McConnell said. “I would expect them to
start very soon.”
House Speaker John Boehner,
R-Ohio, who made a surprise announcement on Friday saying he would
resign from Congress on Oct. 30, has not said whether the House will
vote on raising the debt ceiling or tackle any other big-ticket items
before he leaves Congress. But he has said he doesn’t want his successor
to inherit a “dirty barn.”
"If there's a way to get things done so I don't burden my successor, I'll get them finished," he said Tuesday.
While Democrats have signaled their willingness to work with Boehner,
conservatives eyeing his lieutenants closely ahead of leadership
elections could make it difficult for Republicans to compromise before
the threat of another deadline.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the likely next House Speaker, voted to keep the government open Wednesday.
Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who is running to replace McCarthy, also
voted for the bill. His opponent in the majority leader race, Rep. Tom
Price, voted against it.
Hurricane Joaquin Sets Eyes on Bahamas, Eastern Seaboard
NOAA
Our tenth named storm of the season, Joaquin, has strengthened into a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean.
It currently has winds of 80 mph, located 215 miles east-northeast of
the Central Bahamas and is moving southwest at 6 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane warnings have been posted for the Central Bahamas, and a
hurricane watch is issued for the Northwestern Bahamas. These islands
can expect hurricane conditions starting by Thursday morning. A storm
surge of 2 to 4 feet above sea level will occur, and waves will be large
and dangerous along the coast.
ABC News
Five to 10 inches of rainfall can be expected over the central Bahamas,
but some rain totals may reach 20 inches in the islands of San Salvador
and Rum Cay, where Joaquin will sit over for the next two days. Lesser
amounts of 2 to 5 inches will fall in the southeastern and northwestern
Bahamas.
ABC News
Joaquin is expected to linger over the eastern Bahamas through Friday as
a hurricane. Overnight Friday into Saturday morning, the unusually warm
waters is expected to allow Joaquin to strengthen into a category 3
hurricane with 115 mph winds as it starts to turn north.
After this northerly turn, the path becomes uncertain through the rest
of weekend as it interacts with a trough over the eastern United States.
ABC News
"Confidence in the details of the track forecast late in the period
remains low," the National Hurricane Center said. "A wide range of
outcomes is possible, from a direct impact of a major hurricane along
the U.S. East Coast to a track of Joaquin out to sea away from the
coast."
ABC News
It is still too early to determine the exact impacts that Joaquin may or
may not have on the United States, but regardless of the final track
that Joaquin takes -- a surge of tropical moisture is expected to drench
the East Coast, bringing several more inches of rain to an already
soaked region.
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