An 11th-hour deal to end the 16-day partial government shutdown and pull the nation back from the brink of a historic debt default occurred Wednesday night. Rep. John Conyers says the focus on spending and debt is wrong; Congress should pass a full employment bill.

The spending measure passed both houses of Congress after Republicans dropped efforts to use the legislation to force changes in President Obama’s health care law. The spending bill is a temporary fix. It funds the government through Jan. 15 and raises the debt ceiling until Feb. 7.

“We need a full employment bill. It is my hope that we can take the aim to create full employment for everybody in America and put it No.1 on our domestic agenda so that we create jobs and that we train people for important work,” Conyers, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, told “Democracy Now!” on Thursday. Conyers recently celebrated nearly 50 years in Congress, the longest ever by an African-American.

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

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#debt#employment#government shutdown#john conyers#spending