Civil Beat - Congress Averts Government Shutdown

News Article

By Chad Blair

The U.S. Congress is sending President Obama legislation to prevent a government shutdown.

The action comes following a 277-151 vote Wednesday in the U.S. House of Representatives that "will keep federal agencies funded" through Dec. 11, says The Hill.

Earlier in the day the measure passed the Senate by a vote of 78-20.

All of Hawaii's delegation -- all Democrats -- voted for the legislation.

After the vote, Rep. Mark Takai released a statement that read in part:

"While today we voted to only temporarily avert another manufactured crisis, I am disappointed that we are again just continuing to kick the can down the road. This is not the way to run a government. We must come together in the spirit of bipartisanship and pass a long-term budget solution that funds vital programs American families rely on.

"If Congress does not pass a funding bill by midnight on December 11, 2015, the government enters into a shutdown. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimated that the 2013 shutdown cost American taxpayers $2 billion as a result of lost productivity. More than seven out of 10 Americans want a budget agreement instead of another shutdown."

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