The Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News' Jayce Henderson, Will Cantine, Amanda VanAllen and Jordan Mazza

BUDGET RESOLUTION REACHED ABC News' Abby D. Phillip: "Federal Employees Return To Work As Obama Signs Bill To End Shutdown, Avert Default" President Obama signed a bill shortly after midnight that ended a 16-day government shutdown after the Senate and House approved budget legislation and extend the debt limit. With the president's signature, federal employees are expected to return to work today, Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell said in a statement Wednesday night. LINK

USA Today's Susan Page: "Obama Signs Budget Deal, Ending Shutdown" President Barack Obama signed into law a bipartisan deal approved by Congress Wednesday to reopen the federal government and avert an unprecedented debt default, ending a bitter and partisan 16-day impasse. The Senate voted 81-18; The House voted 285-144. Only Republicans opposed the deal in each chamber. LINK

The Wall Street Journal's Janet Hook and Kristina Peterson: " Congress Passes Debt, Budget Deal" A potentially crippling U.S. debt default was averted late Wednesday, as Congress passed legislation to end a political showdown that had rattled financial markets, splintered the Republican Party and showcased Washington dysfunction. The House voted 285-144 to reopen the government through Jan. 15, suspend the debt ceiling through Feb. 7 and lay the groundwork for talks over broader budget issues. The Senate earlier approved the bill 81-18. President Barack Obama signed the bill early Thursday morning. LINK

The New York Times' Jonathan Weisman and Ashley Parker: " Republicans Back Down, Ending Budget Crisis" Congressional Republicans conceded defeat on Wednesday in their bitter budget fight with President Obama over the new health care law as the House and Senate approved last-minute legislation ending a disruptive 16-day government shutdown and extending federal borrowing power to avert a financial default with potentially worldwide economic repercussions. With the Treasury Department warning that it could run out of money to pay national obligations within a day, the Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday evening, 81 to 18, to approve a proposal hammered out by the chamber's Republican and Democratic leaders after the House on Tuesday was unable to move forward with any resolution. LINK

The Washington Post's Lori Montgomery and Rosalind Helderman: " Obama Signs Bill To Raise Debt Limit, Reopen Government" After shutting down the U.S. government for 16 days and driving the nation toward the brink of default, a chastened Congress voted late Wednesday to reopen federal agencies, call hundreds of thousands of civil servants back to work and raise the $16.7 trillion debt limit. An agreement struck by Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) ended a stalemate created last month, when hard-line conservatives pushed GOP leaders to use the threat of shutdown to block a landmark expansion of federally funded health coverage. LINK

The Hill's Alexander Bolton and Pete Kasperowicz: " Obama Ends Shutdown, Signs Deal" President Obama signed into law a bipartisan deal approved by Congress to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling, the White House said early Thursday morning. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will return to their jobs on Thursday, and national parks and memorials shuttered for 16 days will reopen. Lawmakers voted just hours before the Oct. 17 deadline set by the Treasury Department for raising the borrowing limit. LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Lisa Mascaro, Michael A. Memoli and Brian Bennett: " Government Crisis Is Averted - For Now" Congress gave final approval late Wednesday to a budget compromise, ending a 16-day government shutdown and averting the possibility of a default on the nation's bills, as a bitter partisan stalemate concluded with Republicans conceding defeat. "We fought the good fight," House Speaker John A. Boehner(R-Ohio) said in a Cincinnati radio interview hours before the final vote. "We just didn't win." LINK

The Boston Globe's Noah Bierman and Mattias Gugel: " Deal Ends Shutdown, Avoids Default" Congress, dueling to the final hour, voted late Wednesday to avoid a potentially catastrophic default on the nation's debts and halt a 16-day government shutdown that showcased congressional dysfunction. The last-minute deal, brokered just ahead of Thursday's default deadline by Senate majority leader Harry Reid and minority leader Mitch McConnell, promises only short-term relief from the cycle of fiscal standoffs that has gripped Washington. It funds the government through Jan. 15 and raises the nation's $16.7 trillion borrowing limit through early February. LINK

The New York Daily News' Dan Friedman and James Warren: " Congress Passes Bill To End Shutdown And Prevent Default; President Obama Signs Bill" An epic political embarrassment came to a close Wednesday when Congress voted to end the 16-day government shutdown and duck a historic default that could have triggered a global recession. The deadlock was broken when Republicans waved the white flag by agreeing to reopen the government and extend its ability to borrow money, all without getting anything in return - exactly what President Obama demanded all along. LINK

The Washington Times' Seth McLaughlin and Stephen Dinan: " Shutdown Over: House Approves Senate Budget Deal; Avoids Debt Default" Moving with stunning speed, Congress voted Wednesday to end the 16-day-old government shutdown and avert the potential for the first major debt default in U.S. history in a deal that gave President Obama most of what he sought - an open government and more borrowing authority without denting Obamacare. The Senate voted 81-18 to approve the deal and sent it over to the House, which quickly followed suit with a 285-144 vote on the measure - amounting to an almost complete surrender for the GOP. LINK

Bloomberg's Terry Atlas, Roxana Tiron and Kathleen Hunter: " Congress Sets New Deadlines As Votes Will Open Government" After the partisan passions and heated rhetoric, the disruptions of a government shutdown and displays of dysfunction, Congress did what it could have done weeks ago: voted to fund the government and lift the debt limit. The passage last night by wide margins - an 81-18 vote in the Democratic-led Senate, followed by a 285-144 vote in the Republican-controlled House - allows the U.S. to avoid default and ends the shutdown that began Oct. 1 and has taken $24 billion out of the economy. LINK

Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown and Jonathan Allen: " Obama Wins" In the end, President Barack Obama got exactly what he said he wanted - a debt-limit increase, an extension of the federal government's funding, and no overly binding strings attached - and he did it by keeping faith with his unusual watchwords: No negotiation. Experience had taught Republicans, and even Democrats, that he would wilt. Obama had agreed to austere spending limitations and big tax cuts in past budget showdowns. And Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert joked earlier this month that the president needed a transplant of vital pieces of male anatomy to take a strong stand on the debt limit and federal spending this time around. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEO " Is Senate Debt Deal A Win For The White House?" LINK " New Jersey Votes To Fill Lautenberg Senate Seat" LINK

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