The events assured that there would be no interruption in assistance to areas battered by disasters such as Hurricane Irene and tornadoes and also that the government would be able to run normally when the new budget year begins on Saturday.
The agreement also spelled the end to the latest in a string of political standoffs between Democrats and Republicans over deficits, spending, and taxes that have rattled financial markets and coincided with polls showing congressional approval ratings at historically low levels.
“This compromise should satisfy Republicans … and it should satisfy Democrats,’’ said Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who added that Budget Director Jacob Lew had informed him that FEMA did not need any additional funding to meet its needs for the final few days of the budget year.
“It’s a win for everyone,’’ Reid declared.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said it was a “reasonable way to keep the government operational.’’
But not even the dispute-resolving agreement prevented Democrats from proceeding to a politically charged vote earlier in the evening that was designed to force Republicans to decide whether immediate aid to disaster victims or deficit concerns held a higher priority.
And the rhetoric was far harsher during the day on the Senate floor, when Mary Landrieu, a Louisiana Democrat, unleashed an unusually personal attack on House majority leader Eric Cantor, a Virginia Republican, saying the weekslong dispute started when he said, “before we can provide help we need to find offsets in the budget.’’
She called that “the Cantor doctrine’’ and said the dispute “could have been avoided if Cantor had just said, ‘I’m sorry, but I made a mistake.’ But instead of saying that, he doubled down,’’ she said.
