US shutdown: Barack Obama willing to sign short-term debt rise

President Barack Obama has announced he is willing to sign a “clean” short-term increase to the US borrowing limit that is free from Republican budget and policy demands.

Barack Obama’s announcement came as the US is in the 11th day of a partial government shutdown.

However, the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore, closed by the shutdown, will now re-open.

The funding will be provided by the states of New York, Arizona and South Dakota, however, with other national parks and monuments remaining closed due to the deadlock in Washington.

As the well as the shutdown, the US is heading towards default if it does not raise its debt limit by October 17.

The partial government shutdown, which has sent home hundreds of thousands of government workers on unpaid leave, began on 1 October after Republicans refused to pass a new budget unless Barack Obama and the Democrats agreed to delay Obama’s signature healthcare reform law of 2010 or eliminate its funding.

The White House has repeatedly said it would not undermine the law, known as Obamacare, nor negotiate over larger budget matters, until Republicans vote to end the threat of default and reopen the government.