US House approves bill to suspend debt limit, fund government

[WASHINGTON] Democrats in the House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday to fund the US government through Dec 3 and suspend the nation's borrowing limit until the end of 2022, sending it to the Senate where Republicans have vowed to block it.

The House vote was 220-211 along party lines. It was unclear how soon the Senate would act.

If Republicans stick by their refusal to support the measure in the Senate, Democrats will have to come up with a new strategy or quickly face the twin problems of a government in partial shutdown that is unable to pay its bills and the risk of a default for the first time in modern history.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer set the stage on Monday for a showdown with Republicans when they said they would combine spending and debt measures in one bill, despite Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell's vow to block an increase in the US$28.4 trillion debt ceiling.

REUTERS