The United States has avoided a potentially disastrous debt default after Congress passed a bill to end the partial government shutdown and allow the Treasury to continue borrowing.
Following days of tense negotiations, the Senate passed the deal less than four hours before a deadline when the Treasury would have started running out of money to fund its obligations.
But as Thea Cowie reports, a long-term solution to the crisis is yet to be devised.
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They had refused to raise the government debt ceiling until the Democrats agreed to delay or de-fund the program.
The Senate has now passed a bill raising the debt ceiling, avoiding default on debts and re-opening the government.
But the bill only funds government agencies until mid-January and extends the debt limit just a few weeks longer - until early February.
President Obama says he hopes Republicans and Democrats can resolve their differences before then.
He's calling on the major parties to get out of the habit of what he calls "governing by crisis".
"I'm willing to work with anybody, I am eager to work with anybody - Democrat or Republican, House or Senate members - on any idea that will grow our economy, create new jobs and get our fiscal house in order for the long-term. I've never believed the Democrats have a monopoly on good ideas and despite the differences over the issue of shutting down our government, I'm convinced that Democrats and Republicans can work together to make progress for America."
The Democrats gained the support of 27 Republicans and two independents for the bill to pass the Senate.
But it's a deal neither the Republicans nor the Democrats seem happy about.
Democrat Senator Chuck Shumer:
"Today is not a happy day, an ebulient day, it's a sombre day. We finally achieved our goal but, frankly, we ended up where we started. When we started we said we would do three things - fund the Government, pay our bills and agree to negotiate. We started there and that's where we ended up. That's exactly what the law does. No more, no less."
Republican Senator Andy Harris has told the BBC all the deal does is delay another showdown and add almost $800-billion to the federal debt.
"The shame is that all we did tonight is we're going to kick the can down the road three or four months. I don't see anything changing in the next three or four months. I don't see anything changing in the next three or four months. I mean the problem is that instead of dealing with the real issues which are huge continuing deficits and a debt that is now approaching our GDP, that we haven't dealt with the core issues. The President still is unwilling to name the spending cuts, name the spending controls that we're going to need to get our fiscal house in order."
Under the deal to re-open the government, the House and Senate will hold talks and agree by December 13 on a plan for tax and spending policies over the next decade.
The bill also brings hundreds of thousands of employees back to work from compulsory leave, and repays them for the work they missed.
Shortly before the Senate passed the bill, Republican Senator Ted Cruz was still urging his colleagues to block it.
"Mr President this fight was always about the American people who were hurting because of Obamacare. And unfortunately today the United States Senate is saying 'you don't have a voice in Washington.' This is a terrible deal."
Fellow Republican Peter King says the party could have extracted more concessions from Democrats if it had avoided the two-week government shutdown.
In the end, no major alterations have been made to Obamacare.
The only Obamacare-related condition in fact strengthens the enforcement of the health care law.
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