McCarthy edges Republicans closer to House debt vote

By LISA MASCARO and STEPHEN GROVES
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are pushing their debt ceiling package toward a vote. The roll call could come as soon as Wednesday. Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s team huddled with key holdouts late into Tuesday evening. He declined to say whether he had the majority votes needed for passage. Prospects for the sweeping package were buoyed by a nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis showing the Republican plan would reduce federal deficits by $4.8 trillion over the decade if the proposed changes became law. It would lift the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion into 2024 in exchange for steep budget cuts. President Joe Biden has threatened to veto the bill.