The government shutdown is dead. Obamacare is alive.

The Senate voted 81 to 18 Wednesday night to reopen the federal government and raise the nation's borrowing limit, hours before the Treasury Department faced the possibility of being unable to pay all of America's bills for the first time in modern history.

The House followed suit, voting 285-144, to end the latest damaging battle of divided government in a polarized Congress.

President Barack Obama said he would reopen the government immediately to "lift this cloud of uncertainty and unease" that settled on the nation and start fixing the damage.

"There is a lot of work ahead of us, including our need to earn back the trust of the American people that has been lost over the last few weeks," Obama said in a brief speech at the White House.

沪江英语快讯:美国国会参议院16日晚投票通过议案,给予联邦政府临时拨款,同时调高其公共债务上限。如果这项法案得到国会众议院投票通过并获总统奥巴马签署,美国联邦政府非核心部门的关门风波可告结束。

参议院当天以81票赞成、18票反对的投票结果批准了议案。根据这一议案,联邦政府各部门将获得预算运营到2014年1月15日,同时把财政部发行国债的权限延长至2014年2月7日。