The bipartisan agreement to raise the debt ceiling and limit public spending passed a critical test in Congress on Tuesday and left the House Rules Committee despite opposition from some conservatives.
In such a way, he surpassed his first legislative obstacle after a committee of the Lower House allowed its debate starting this Wednesday in the chamber.
Thus, the step, necessary for the House of Representatives to vote on the agreement, was achieved despite the resistance of some of the most radical members of the Republican Party, who have criticized the plan on the grounds that it does not achieve enough cuts in public spending.
The House Rules Committee agreed by a vote of seven in favor and six against to move forward with the legislative process and establish the ground rules and the time to debate the legislation and any permitted amendments.
If approved, the compromise reached over the weekend by US President Joe Biden and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthywill raise the debt ceiling for the next two years, that is, until after the next presidential elections.
In return, the White House agrees to reduce spending levels and introduce some requirements for food aid programs and vulnerable families.
The approval of the agreement in Congress is crucial so that the country does not default on its public debtafter the debt ceiling, the legal limit to the money that the US can borrow to meet its commitments, was reached last January.
Lawmakers have until June 5 to approve the measure in both chambers, the date on which the Treasury Department estimates that the country will exhaust its reserves.
With information from EFE.
Keep reading:
• The White House and congressional Republicans reach an agreement on the debt ceiling
• What does the US debt ceiling agreement say?
• Secretary of the Treasury warns that the US must raise the debt ceiling before June 5
Source: La Opinion
