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Debt ceiling bill faces a tough path in the House as GOP opposition grows



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WASHINGTON — The compromise bill to raise the debt ceiling that House Republicans released on Sunday faces its first major test on Tuesday in the House Rules Committee, where two of the panel’s nine Republicans have already signaled they will oppose bringing it to the House floor for a vote.The Fiscal Responsibility Act is the product of a deal hammered out by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden to cap federal baseline spending for two years in exchange for Republican votes to raise the debt ceiling beyond next year’s elections and into 2025.The bill needs to pass the GOP majority House and the Democratic-controlled Senate before June 5, when the Treasury Department projects the United States would be unlikely to have enough money to meet its debt obligations.A bloc of at least 20 conservative Republicans have publicly attacked the compromise bill, accusing McCarthy of caving in to the White House. Several prominent conservative groups also publicly opposed the bill Tuesday. The Koch-aligned FreedomWorks group and the anti-tax Club for Growth both urged lawmakers to vote “no” on the bill.Several Democrats, too, have panned the deal, which includes new work requirements for food stamps that many progressives said was a red line.The White House defended the deal Tuesday.”It’s usually a sign of a good compro …

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