The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a federal budget plan on Thursday that would alleviate $65 billion in sequestration cuts, a sign of compromise that has been a rare occurrence since 2011 and sits in stark contrast to the disagreements in October that led to a 16-day government shutdown.
The proposal of course doesn't include everything Republicans and Democrats would have liked, but, as President Barack Obama said, it shows that Washington can actually get something done. The Senate is also expected to pass the plan next week, albeit barely.
See also: 10 Behind-the-Scenes Obama Photos
Below, we've compiled some ways in which the new budget deal, if passed, would affect the average American.
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Democrats hoped to increase taxes on the wealthy and corporations, but the Republicans had none of it. Instead, money will come from fees, one of them being a $5 increase to the post-9/11 security fee for all round-trip flights. The fee helps pay for airport security.
Image: Flickr, Diana Schnuth
Some believed the budget deal would immediately reduce Medicare payments to doctors who see a large percentage of Medicare patients, but those cuts have been held off — for the next three months. If they do come, patients (those on Medicare and those whose doctors rely on Medicare payments) may be forced to help offset the decline in doctor pay.
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Government workers hired as of Jan. 1, 2013, will have to pay an additional 1.3% to their retirement plan per year, meaning the government will have to contribute that much less in funding. Working-age military retirees won't pay more, but they'll receive 1% less in cost-of-living pay (a living allowance that covers food and housing) starting in December, 2015.
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Federal benefits for 1.3 million unemployed people are set to expire at the end of the year, as they reach the six-month benefit limit, and there is no plan to extend the benefits, despite the desire to do so on the part of Democrats. Republicans believe letting these benefits expire will be beneficial by reducing further costs to the already overextended government.
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The government will shut down again on Jan. 15, 2014, if Congress doesn't pass a budget, but that seems unlikely now. If the Senate approves what the House of Representatives already has, the possibility of a shutdown won't come up again until 2015, according to CNN.
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Image: Getty Images, T.J. Kirkpatrick