The government shutdown has ended after 16 days. Federal employees are being told to return to work today after Congress passed a measure to reopen the government and raise the nation’s borrowing limit. President Obama signed the bill last night, narrowly averting today’s deadline to raise the debt limit or risk default. The measure passed both the House and Senate after Republicans dropped their efforts to use the legislation to defund the Affordable Care Act. The bill funds the government until January 15 and raises the debt ceiling until February 7, raising the prospect of another showdown early next year. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced the deal followed by his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell.

Sen. Harry Reid: “The eyes of the world have been on Washington all this week, and that is a gross understatement. And while they witnessed a great deal of political discord, today they will also see Congress reach a historic bipartisan agreement to reopen the government and avert a default on the nation’s bills.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell: “For today, the relief we hope for is to reopen the government, avoid default and protect the historic cuts we achieved under the Budget Control Act. This is far less than many of us had hoped for, frankly, but it’s far better than what some had sought.”

McConnell said Republicans would continue their efforts to defund the Affordable Care Act. The deal secured by Reid and McConnell includes a $3 billion earmark for a dam project in McConnell’s home state of Kentucky. McConnell faces a tight re-election bid with a tea party-aligned challenger next year.