Obama signs $1.1 trillion bill to finance governmentJanuary 18, 2014 - 12:01 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. President Barack Obama signed a $1.1 trillion bill to finance the government through Sept 30. It clears the way for lawmakers to focus on the next potential fiscal showdown: Raising the federal debt ceiling, Bloomberg reports. Congress as soon as next month will be confronted with the need to increase borrowing authority, risking a repeat of the partisan discord that last year and in 2011 took the U.S. to the brink of default. While it remains to be seen whether the cross-party cooperation will carry over to the debt limit debate, senators hailed the final passage of the $1.1 trillion spending bill as a breakthrough, according to Bloomberg. “In today’s era of shutdown, slowdown, slam-down politics, where negotiating occurs on cable TV rather than in committee rooms, we worked together,” Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat, said before the vote. “We looked at how we could put together a bill that both sides of the aisle in both houses could agree upon.” The Democratic-led Senate voted 72-26 to clear the spending measure yesterday, a day after the Republican-led House passed it, 359-67. Obama’s budget director, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, called passage of the legislation “a positive step forward for the nation and our economy.” In a statement last night, she cited funding for education, infrastructure and innovation. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |