Boehner Says Budget Deal Is Reached
Philip Scott Andrews/The New York Times
House Speaker John Boehner spoke with reporters about the looming government shutdown on Capitol Hill on Friday night.
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
Published: April 8, 2011
WASHINGTON — The nation's lawmakers reached a last-minute budget deal Friday night, averting a government shutdown just minutes before crossing a deadline that would have shuttered federal facilities and forced hundreds of thousands of workers to be furloughed without pay, House Speaker John A. Boehner said.
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Times Topic: Government Shutdown — Federal Budget (2011)
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In a brief statement to reporters, Mr. Boehner said he was pleased that Republicans and Democrats have "come to an agreement that will in fact cut spending and keep our government open."
He added: "This has been a lot of discussion and a long fight. We fought to keep government spending down."
A Democratic source said negotiators had agreed to spending cuts totaling $38.5 billion and had resolved differences in funding for groups like Planned Parenthood that had been holding up a deal for days.
Mr. Boehner said the two sides had agreed to a six-day "bridge" extension of the government's spending authority in order to turn the agreement's framework into legislation that will fund federal operations through the end of the 2011 fiscal year in September. He said the final vote on the package would take place in the middle of next week.
The agreement was reached after a flurry of negotiations throughout Friday evening that led to a nail-biting final hours while the shutdown clocked ticked down perilously close to the midnight deadline. It was reached in principle Friday evening and Mr. Reid and Mr. Boehner then had to sell the agreement to their members.
Mr. Boehner spent almost an hour meeting with his caucus, getting their input and approval. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, was expected to speak later Friday evening. And White House officials said Mr. Obama would also make remarks from the White House about the last-minute budget deal.
The developments came after Republicans and Democrats spent the day blaming one another for what would be the first lapse in government services brought on by Congress in 15 years. Senior Congressional and White House aides exchanged offers on remaining sticking points.
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