In classic Congressional fashion, Senators gave final approval to a plan that raises the nation's debt limit and finds $2.1 trillion in budget savings, less than twelve hours before a deadline for action set by the Obama Administration.
Not long after, President Obama signed the bill into law, averting a possible default by Uncle Sam.
The 74-26 vote in the Senate held no suspense, as the only question in the Press Gallery was how many votes would end up in the 'Yes' column.
But even those who voted for the bill found little to celebrate as the votes were tallied in favor of the bipartisan plan.
"My vote for this legislation does not come without some pain," said Sen. Dick Durbin (D- IL), who bemoaned the focus on spending cuts instead of tax increases on the wealthy and large corporations.
"Most of the members agree that gridlock doesn't do anything to help the country," said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), who also ignored things he didn't like and voted for the deal.
But the argument that the new law prevented gridlock didn't wash with everyone.
"To be frank, almost everything else about this deal stinks," said Sen. Jeff Merkley (D- OR), who was one of six Democrats, one Independent and 19 Republicans who voted against the bill.
But those voices were in the minority on this day, who said no matter the shortcomings of this deal, it provided a welcome change from steadily increasing budgets of the past.
"That's the first step in the right direction of sanity, accountability and fiscal responsibility," said Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA).
But not all on the GOP side saw it so clearly.
"I cannot support this plan because it fails to actually solve our debt problem," said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
"This plan still adds at least $7 trillion to our debt over 10 years," Rubio added.
Down at the White House, there was no celebration after the Senate vote, as President Obama simply started getting ready for the next big battle over what would be produced by a special Joint Committee of Congress on the Deficit.
"This compromise requires that both parties work together on a larger plan to cut the deficit," the President said in the Rose Garden. "And since you can’t close the deficit with just spending cuts, we’ll need a balanced approach where everything is on the table."
In other words, tax increases must be on the table, something that Republicans have said they are not interested in.
That will certainly be at the center of the negotiations for the new Joint Committee, which must produce a plan by Thanksgiving, and then try to shepherd something through the House and Senate by Christmas.
If that fails, then major across the board budget cuts could crash into both the defense budget and domestic spending programs, a result both parties want to avoid at all costs.
After the vote, Senators began heading for the exits, just like the House did yesterday, as the Senate will next convene after Labor Day.
