US News

Honest, Abe is still open

President Obama surprised tourists yesterday with an unannounced visit to the Lincoln Memorial, where he spread the news that the Democrats and the Republicans had agreed to $38.5 billion in spending cuts just hours before the federal government was slated to shut down.

The president energetically bounded up the memorial’s steps and raised a finger in the air as he commanded the attention of the crowd, which scrambled to take up-close pictures of him.

“Because Congress was able to settle its differences — that’s why this place is open today and everybody’s able to enjoy their visit,” he declared, dressed in a black shirt and jacket.

“That’s the kind of future cooperation I hope we have going forward,” he added. “This is what America is all about — everybody from different places enjoying those things that bind us together.”

Both sides took credit for the deal, which came in the nick of time as the country braced for a shutdown that would have halted all but essential services.

Tourist spots would have closed — and hundreds of thousands of federal workers would have been put on furlough.

The lawmakers approved a measure to keep the government running over the next few days and indicated that they expect to approve the more detailed budget plan by midweek.

Hashed out by Obama, Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, the deal came after what Boehner called “a lot of discussion and a long fight.”

The Republicans claimed victory for the sheer size of the cuts. The Democrats crowed that they’d scuttled GOP efforts to block certain environmental regulations and other social initiatives.

The Republicans did make significant gains, including legal language that denies federal funding to implement ObamaCare and a provision that bans the use of federal or local government money to pay for abortions in the District of Columbia.

SHUTDOWN AVERTED: President Obama greets visitors at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday with the news that federal facilities will stay open. (AFP/Getty Images)