Breaking news: bill to avert govt shutdown passes House, heads to Senate

The ice seems to be breaking as Republican leaders and President Obama met last week to try to find compromise in the budget impasse that has led to the sequestration crisis (see our post about what sequestration means here). The House has since passed a 6 month spending bill that would fund federal government beyond the period of the current continuing resolution (which ends March 27) until October when the new federal fiscal year begins. This funding will lessen some of the impact of sequestration but not eliminate it, so all federal agencies will still see substantial cuts unless further compromise is reached in both houses.