Shutdown averted, Owens calls for compromise
After weeks of negotiations, it all looked like it was coming to a head last night, and that the government would shut down.
The questions had turned from, "Will it happen?" to, "Who will take the blame?"
But at the last minute, before a midnight deadline, negotiators agreed on a deal that would fund the government until the end of the fiscal year, while legislators passed bills needed to fund government through the weekend.
Rep. Bill Owens, D-Plattsburgh, hailed the compromise.
"This compromise will ensure that the troops, who risk their lives for our freedom, will not see an interruption in pay or benefits," he said in a statement. "I look forward to next week's final funding bill and hope that it takes politics out of the discussion while moving to cut spending in a responsible way."
