LAS VEGAS - All day and night, it was a countdown to a shutdown.
As the clock ticked, lawmakers burned the midnight oil and worked on a budget deal, down to the wire. U.S. House and Senate leaders finally reached an agreement Friday night, avoiding a federal government shutdown. The plan keeps the federal government running through Thursday.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nevada-D) took to the Senate floor shortly after the deal was announced.
"We will cut $78.5 billion," he said. "We all agree that there are many cuts that have to take place in the future. We understand that. We must get this country's fiscal house in order."
"Our goal is to not shut down the government but to reduce wasteful spending," said U.S. Rep. Joe Heck (Nevada-R). "This is the largest cut to a budget in our nation's history since World War II, so we're on the path back to prosperity."
State leaders spent Friday discussing the potential fallout of a federal government shutdown on Nevada.
"We have a lot of military personnel in this state who are paid with federal dollars who wouldn't be paid," said Assembly Speaker John Oceguera (Clark County-D).
"It's a no-win situation, I think, for all concerned," added State Sen. Greg Brower (Washoe County-R).
Negotiations between Democrats and Republicans stalled in recent days, in part, because of riders attached to the budget bill. Among them was a proposal to defund Planned Parenthood – a move supported by many U.S. House Republicans but opposed by Democrats.
The proposal brought tough words from Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada. Its president called a possible government shutdown an "outrage", fearing millions of women would be denied pap tests, breast cancer screenings and birth control.
In the end, Planned Parenthood was left alone and the lights won't go out in Washington, at least until Thursday.
If a shutdown took place, paychecks could have been delayed for the 12,000 people employed at Nellis Air Force Base.
Any state employee paid with federal funds through grants or programs could have been furloughed.
A shutdown would have also caused numerous delays - from federal background checks to new unemployment insurance claims.
