House Suspends Debt Ceiling

Minutes ago the House voted for a temporary suspension of the debt ceiling.

Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) convinced his rebellious majority to go along with the new strategy by promising them the opportunity in the months ahead to extract deep spending cuts to Medicare and other domestic programs. The approach was a seismic political shift for Republicans who in the past had pressed for simultaneous cuts, and House Democrats dismissed the move as “irresponsible” and a “gimmick.” The vote was 285-144, and despite the robust support it would not have passed without Democrats -- 33 Republicans opposed.