The US Congress has finally agreed to reopen the federal government (for now) and to pay our bills!  On Wednesday, October 16, the House passed by 285-144 a resolution concurring with the Senate bill that had passed earlier in the evening by an overwhelming 81-18 vote.  HR2775 raised the debt ceiling, thus allowing the federal government to borrow money to bills that come due and avoid a default on our national debt.  The bill also provides funding to resume full government operations. The President signed the bill into law shortly after midnight yesterday.

Despite the the call from House Speaker John Boehner (R)OH for Republican members to support this bill, despite the fact that this was the last opportunity to prevent a government default that would have had dire consequences for the nation and the world economies, every Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from SC and GA voted NAY on the bill.  Every one. 

The bad news...the cuts know as the sequester remain, and, since the budget and debt ceiling agreement are very short term,  we get to do this all again in January 2014. 

The good news...our refuges are now open as usual with the furloughed staff back at work.

With cooler temperatures, this is a great time to visit one of our refuges, with a new appreciation for their beauty and importance.

Remember, despite the closing of "non-essential" activities,