Michaud Votes for Bill to Reopen Government

Press Release

This evening, Representative Mike Michaud voted for a bipartisan bill introduced by Senate leaders to end the shutdown and address the debt ceiling. The bill passed the House by a vote of 285-144.

"Finally, Acadia will be reopened, veterans' benefits will no longer be threatened, and the fear of not getting a paycheck will be lifted for Maine's furloughed workers. While this bill is a disappointment because it is short-term, it will hopefully provide the time needed to arrive at a more comprehensive, long-term solution to our nation's fiscal challenges," said Michaud.

The bill, which passed the Senate earlier tonight by a wide bipartisan margin, contains a number of provisions, including:

- Funding for government operations through January 15th (continuing resolution) and raising the nation's debt limit through February 7th.

- Providing back pay to federally-funded state employees and federal employees who were furloughed during the shutdown.

- Reimbursing states for expenses incurred during the shutdown, including interest, which normally would have been paid by the federal government.

- Creating a budget conference that has to report out a deal on the fiscal year 2014 budget by December 13th. This deal has to set binding totals for broad categories of spending and revenues before the continuing resolution expires.

- Requiring income verification for individuals participating in the new health care exchanges and getting subsidies.

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