Government shutdown avoided for now, with a two-week funding extension
House and Senate leaders on Tuesday bought themselves a little more time in their efforts to avoid a government shutdown, agreeing to a two-week funding extension that also includes $4 billion in spending cuts.
The deal, which eliminates dozens of earmarks and a handful of little-known programs that President Obama has identified as unnecessary, sailed through the House on a 335 to 91 vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), who initially resisted including any cuts in a short-term funding extension, predicted that it will pass that chamber as early as Wednesday.
Obama also got involved, after largely staying on the sidelines. He placed a 10-minute call to House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) to discuss the temporary spending bill.
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By
Karen Tumulty and Ed O'Keefe
| March 1, 2011; 11:05 PM ET
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From The Pages of The Post, Government Shutdown
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