Congress reaches deal to avoid govt. shutdown

The U.S. Congress reached a deal Thursday evening on a USD one trillion spending agreement for federal agencies that would cover the entire fiscal year and avoid a government shutdown. The agreement came just 28 hours before a deadline that would have led to the government shutdown. Furthermore, the U.S. Senate voted also Thursday evening 86-13 for a USD 662 billion defense authorization bill. According to the reports, the bill would "authorize money for military personnel, weapons systems, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and national security programs in the Energy Department." The White House had threatened to veto the bill but dropped that warning, saying "last-minute congressional changes no longer challenge the president's ability to prosecute the war on terror." The bill also freezes about USD 700 million in financing for Pakistan until a report is submitted to Congress on how that country is countering the threat of improvised explosive devices.