US Congress averts government shutdown

Republicans and Democrats reached an agreement that would avert a federal government shutdown, yielding more spending cuts for Republicans while giving Democrats a key win.A disagreement between Democrats and Republicans over the funding over spending in the 2011-2012 budget needed to be resolved by midnight to avoid the closure of all non-essential federal services.At least 800,000 federal employees face a temporary layoff, front line soldiers face a delay in being paid and museums and national parks are on the verge of closure.The US Congress spent a day on the brink as Democrats and Republicans were saying they didn’t want a shutdown but they also refused to give the space that would prevent one.During the second term of Democrat president Bill Clinton in 1995-6, the US had to face a budget shutdown.