HUD welcomes employees back to work

On its home page this morning, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) posted a new message for visitors: “We Are Open Today.”

It also posted a videotaped message from HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan welcoming employees back to work.

Last night Congress ended the 16-day government shutdown by passing a bill (H.R. 2775, as amended) that includes (among other things) two very important provisions:

• One that will fund the government from October 1 through January 15 at levels approved for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2013
• Another that will raise the debt ceiling until February 7

Here’s how the 16-day government shutdown came to an end:

• At 7:56 p.m. eastern time (ET), the Senate passed H.R. 2775, as amended, by a margin of 81–18, with 52 Democrats, 27 Republicans, and both Independents voting yes.
• At 10:18 p.m. ET, the House passed the bill by a margin of 285–144, with 198 Democrats and 87 Republicans voting yes.
• Around 12:30 a.m. ET, President Obama signed the bill into law.

It likely will take HUD several days to get back up to full speed. As always, we will keep you posted on any new developments.