The government shutdown hasn't exactly been stopped, but it has been delayed thanks to John Boehner's announced resignation as House Speaker, according to The Washington Post.
The House of Representatives will vote next week on a spending bill to keep funding the government, thus preventing the shutdown that would result if no funding bill is passed. This bill, however, won't stop federal funding to Planned Parenthood. The issue of Planned Parenthood has been at the heart of the funding debate, and that debate is not over yet. This new bill prevents an immediate shutdown, but it's not a long-term solution.
The government will stay funded through half of December, at which point the entire battle is likely to play out again, The Washington Post reported.
The news comes on the same day that Boehner announced that he will resign as the Speaker of the House, according to The New York Times. The Speaker is third in line to become President of the U.S.
Whoever follows Boehner as the next Speaker will have to work with the warring Republicans and Democrats in December when financial matters must be decided, The Detroit Free Press reported. Boehner will leave the House at the end of October.
In addition to voting on federal funding, Congress must soon decide whether to raise the debt limit, an issue that has been contentious in the past.
