Congress ends shutdown, passes debt deal

[Great! About time!]

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 16: Up against a deadline, Congress passed and sent a waiting President Barack Obama legislation late Wednesday night to avoid a threatened national default and end the 16-day partial government shutdown, the culmination of an epic political drama that placed the U.S. economy at risk. The Senate voted 81-18 to pass the proposal hammered out earlier in the day by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The House of Representatives followed, voting 285-144 to end the government shutdown and raise the debt limit at the U.S. Capitol October 16, 2013. in Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 15: The U.S. Capitol is shown at sunset October 15, 2013 in Washington, DC. The U.S. government shutdown is in its fifteenth day as the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives remain gridlocked on funding the federal government and raising the nation's debt limit. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)