On October 16, negotiators in the Senate and House reached a deal to end the partial government shutdown, which began on October 1 (see The Source, 10/4/13). The agreement came about amid last minute negotiations not only to reopen the federal government, but also to raise the debt ceiling, which allows the United States government to pay its bills beyond October 17. Congress previously debated H. J. Res. 59, a continuing resolution (CR) that would have funded the government through December 15. Failure to reach agreement on the CR by October 1 led to the partial government shutdown (see The Source, 9/27/13).
The Continuing Appropriations Act (H.R. 2775) extends FY2013 funding levels through January 15, 2014. The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 81-18, while the House approved the measure, 285-144; President Obama signed the bill into law. The bill provides $986 billion in discretionary funding, which reflects the across-the-board spending cuts imposed in the FY2013 omnibus spending bill (P.L. 113-6) and by the Budget Control Act (P.L. 112-175), also known as sequestration.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (P.L. 111-148 and P.L. 111-152), commonly known as “Obamacare,” remains intact. However, the bill requires income verification for individuals in the state health insurance exchanges who apply for premium tax credits and cost sharing. The House-passed versions of H. J. Res. 59 included provisions to defund the ACA, while the Senate refused to approve resolutions containing such provisions.
Mandatory programs within the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246), such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will be funded at current levels. In addition, federal workers will receive back pay for the time during which they were furloughed.
