Senate Deal Announced

Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell have reached a bipartisan deal to end the government shutdown and lift the debt ceiling, they announced in Senate floor speeches today. "This is far less than many of us had hoped for frankly," McConnell said. "But it's far better than what some had sought." The deal does not include any major tweaks to the Affordable Care Act, but it does require people getting subsidies under the program to verify their income. It also calls for a conference committee to settle bigger budget issues like the sequester cuts, the Washington Post reports.

Reports earlier indicated that John Boehner would not only allow the House to vote on the bill, but would have it vote first to streamline the Senate's procedural process. But a spokesman for Boehner earlier said that "no decision has been made about how or when a potential Senate agreement could be voted on in the House," the Hill reports. Jay Carney said the White House wouldn't officially weigh in until the bill is voted on, but that "the president applauds leader Reid and minority leader McConnell for working together to forge this compromise." Ted Cruz, meanwhile, decried the deal, but said he would not attempt to block it in the Senate. "There's nothing to be gained from delaying this vote one day or two days," he said. (More Kelly Ayotte stories.)