Apparent Deal Struck to Avoid Second Partial Government Shutdown

Given the latest news from Capitol Hill, the second government shutdown that could have started at midnight appears have been averted through a deal reached late Monday night (note the word “appears”). This is quite the turnaround from Monday morning when the negotiators appeared to be gridlocked. But compromises were made, and it appears that a second partial government shutdown has been averted.

That being said, a few significant steps need to be completed before the potential shutdown is averted. The agreement in principle needs to be translated into legislative language for the seven remaining appropriations bills – text is expected late today (Tuesday). Then, the legislation has to be approved by both the House and the Senate. Finally, the President has to sign off on the deal. It’s going to be a bit of a whirlwind to get all of this done by midnight Friday, but news reports are optimistic as of Tuesday morning.