President Obama signs budget bill to reopen federal government By a Times staff writer October 16, 2013, 9:41 p.m. WASHINGTON - President Obama quickly signed a budget compromise to reopen the federal government and avert the possibility of default after Congress approved it late Wednesday. Treasury officials had said they would run out of money to pay the nation's bills on Thursday unless Congress acted. The deal suspends the $16.7-trillion limit on the government's debt for several months, giving the Treasury renewed borrowing authority. Less than an hour after the House voted, and even before the president signed the bill, Yosemite National Park announced its roads and public areas would reopen immediately.