After 16 days of bad jokes and no panda cam, the government is now up and running! Although the consequences seemed minor to most Harriton students, the close of our national government impacted government workers throughout the nation, in jobs ranging from veterans’ affairs to park rangers. With the government open again, these men and women can breathe a sigh of relief. Shortly after midnight on October 17^th, The Senate and House of Representatives passed a bill to avoid a potentially catastrophic default on the United States’ debt payments by raising the federal government’s debt ceiling. The government is now funded through January 15^th and the debt limit is raised through February 7^th.  This measure was passed 81-18 in the senate and 285-144 in the House. These dates may seem far away now, but these are deadlines for our government to come together and create a more permanent solution. Hopefully, the United States government will be able to work together and avoid a fiscal crisis.