Debt limit deal heads to vote in full House while McCarthy scrambles for GOP approval
Under fire from conservatives, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is hunting for votes from fellow Republicans for the debt ceiling deal WASHINGTON -- Under fire from conservatives, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked furiously Tuesday to sell fellow Republicans on the debt ceiling and budget deal he negotiated with President Joe Biden and win approval in time to avert a potentially disastrous U.S. default. Leaders of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus lambasted the compromise as falling well short of the spending cuts they demand, and they vowed to try to halt passage by Congress. A much larger conservative faction, the Republican Study Committee, declined to take a position. Even rank-and-file centrist conservatives were not sure, leaving McCarthy desperately hunting for votes. The House Rules Committee voted 7-6 Tuesday to advance a bill dealing with the federal debt ceiling to the full House, with two Republicans joining Democrats to oppose. The full House is expected to vote Wednesday...