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Deal Passage Expected in U.S. Senate

The U.S. Senate is now preparing to vote on a deal that will end the government shutdown and extend the nation's borrowing authority, according to officials.

The deal, which has seen reluctant cooperation from both Republicans and Democrats, is aimed at funding the government through Jan. 15 and extending the debt ceiling until early February. The plan has offered almost no concessions to Republicans with the exception of minor specifics regarding those purchasing insurance under the new healthcare law.

Sen. Mark Pryor, who was part of the bipartisan effort that conceived the deal, said the plan will resolve many immediate issues, but will also concern how the national budget is handled in future instances.

"It requires us to get our budget process back on track," Pryor said. "It requires us to appoint conferees and for those conferees to report back to each house by a certain date in December. All of that is good."

Final passage in the White House is expected late tonight or early Thursday morning.

Liz Fox currently studies print journalism and English literature at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In addition to her reporting duties at KUAR, she serves as entertainment editor for UALR's student newspaper, The Forum, and works at Arkansas Business magazine as an editorial intern.