US govt to reopen as Obama signs last-minute bill

WASHINGTON -- The US government will end its partial shutdown after President Barack Obama signed a last-minute deal early Thursday to reopen the federal government and raise the debt ceiling.

Obama signed the bill into law without further comment after both the House and Senate approved it late Wednesday.

Speaking shortly after the Senate vote, the president said he would sign the bill as soon as it came to his desk and the process of reopening government would begin "immediately."

He thanked leaders from both the Democrats and the Republicans for working out an agreement to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling.

"Hopefully next time it won't be in the 11th hour," he said. "We've got to get out of the habit of governing by crisis."

Minutes after Obama signed the bill, White House budget director Sylvia Mathews Burwell issued a directive to employees, saying the government would try and make the transition back to fully operational as smooth as possible.

"All employees who were on furlough due to the absence of appropriations may now return to work. You should reopen offices in a prompt and orderly manner," she said.

"This has been a particularly challenging time for Federal employees and I want to thank our Nation's dedicated civil servants for their continued commitment to serving the American people," Burwell added.

She said most of the employees who had been furloughed for the past two weeks were expected to get back to work Thursday.

Earlier Wednesday night, the US House of Representatives approved the bill shortly after the Senate passed it, clearing the final hurdles for the country to return from the brink of an historic debt default.

The Republican-controlled House voted 285-144 in favor of the bill, which funds the government through to January 15 and raises the debt ceiling until February 7.

Early Wednesday night, the Democratic-led Senate, with a 81-18 vote, approved the measure, which emerged as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the bipartisan compromise.