BREAKING NEWS: House, Senate Pass Bill to End Budget Standoff !! AMEN !!

After weeks of stalemate that shuttered the government for 16 days and brought the nation within hours of a key deadline to renew its borrowing authority, the standoff is finally over.

The House passed a bill late Wednesday night to re-open the government and extend the debt ceiling until Feb. 7.  That vote came hours after the Senate approved the measure 81-18.

In remarks at the White House after the Senate vote – but before the House took up the measure – President Barack Obama said that he will sign the bill as soon as it arrives on his desk and that the government will begin re-opening "immediately."

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