The deal reached by Congress on Wednesday to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling would avert a financial catastrophe but leave the weakened U.S. economy facing new threats.
But while the bipartisan deal would end a period of disruption that has slowed the economy — the shutdown removed more than $20 billion in direct government spending and related economic activity — it would create new perils, setting up other economy-shaking deadlines in just a few months.
It also would do almost nothing for existing economic challenges, including automatic spending cuts that are worsening the problem of high unemployment and a long-term debt challenge posed by mounting costs in health care and retirement programs.