US Congress passes funding bill to end hours-long shutdown

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The US Congress ended a brief government shutdown on Friday by reaching a wide-ranging deal that is expected to push budget deficits into a trillion dollars a year.

President Donald Trump signed the act following the US Congress' pass to end the nation's second government shutdown in three weeks.

Trump later tweeted, saying the bill will make the US military "stronger than ever before."

Screenshot from Trump's twitter handle

The deal is the fifth temporary government funding measure for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 and replenishes federal coffers until March 23, giving lawmakers more time to write a full-year budget.

It also extends the US government's borrowing authority until March 2019, sparing Washington politicians difficult votes on debt and deficits until after mid-term congressional elections in November.

Once known as the party of fiscal conservatives, the Republicans and Trump are now quickly expanding the US budget deficit and its 20-trillion-dollar national debt. Their sweeping tax overhaul bill approved in December will add an estimated 1.5 trillion US dollars to the national debt over 10 years.

Nearly 300 billion US dollars in new spending included in the bill approved on Friday will ensure the annual budget deficit will exceed 1 trillion US dollars in 2019, said the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a private fiscal policy watchdog group in Washington.

Friday's budget deal allows for 165 billion US dollars in additional defense spending over two years that will help Trump deliver on his promise to rebuild the military.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters