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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Is Congress Stepping Away from the Brink?

    The government will be reopened and the debt limit raised if Senate leaders get their way, and if Speaker Boehner allows a vote in the House. But the deal would last only until early next year. Between now and then, Congress would hold the budget hearings it should have conducted this Spring.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    The government will be reopened and the debt limit raised if Senate leaders get their way, and if Speaker Boehner allows a vote in the House. But the deal would last only until early next year. Between now and then, Congress would hold the budget hearings it should have conducted this Spring. Can disagreements about spending, taxes and Medicare be resolved in such a short time? What about the ongoing dispute over Obamacare?

    This may be the moment to take a deep breath, but long-term relief could be a long time coming. After Senate leaders announced their agreement today, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said President Obama hopes both houses will pass it.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Will Congress Kick the Can Down the Road?
    1. 0:00Speaker Boehner Concedes Defeat
    2. 7:59Is Congress Stepping Away from the Brink?You’re reading this
    3. 41:56Disgust with Congress Through the Years
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Susan Davis

      Former host of the NPR Politics Podcast

    • KCRW placeholder

      Lawrence White

      George Mason University

    • KCRW placeholder

      Charles Konigsberg

      US Budget Alert

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Will Congress Kick the Can Down the Road?
    1. 0:00Speaker Boehner Concedes Defeat
    2. 7:59Is Congress Stepping Away from the Brink?You’re reading this
    3. 41:56Disgust with Congress Through the Years
    Back to To the Point