英语文摘:US House Passes Bill to Raise Debt Ceiling

“I am voting for this bill - not because I like this bill, although it does do some things that I think need to be done," said Hoyer. "We need to bring down the [budget] deficit; we need to address the [national] debt; we need to return to fiscal responsibility.  But default for the United States of America is not an option.”

The bipartisan bill would raise the U.S. debt ceiling by more than $2 trillion, enough to assure the federal government’s financial solvency through next year’s national elections - something the president insisted on.  It also provides for two rounds of spending cuts.

Several liberal Democrats said they could not support the bill because they feel it is unbalanced - cutting social programs for the America's least fortunate and not asking anything of the nation’s wealthiest taxpayers.  They said President Obama had compromised too much to win the support of conservative and libertarian Tea Party Republicans.

On the other side of the aisle, several Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee expressed concern about potential cuts in defense spending.   Before the vote, Republican Representative David Dreier appealed for lawmakers from both major parties to vote for the legislation.

“Mr. Speaker, we are all in this together - Democrat and Republican alike," said Dreier. "We all stand to suffer tremendously, if we fail to either raise the debt ceiling or take this opportunity to fundamentally change course.”

The debt ceiling compromise faces its final hurdle with a Tuesday vote planned in the Senate, where analysts say it will likely pass and to go to President Obama for his signature.