Debt ceiling deal clears first hurdle with House panel and advances for debate

The committee voted 7-6 to allow debate by the full chamber with expected vote on passage on Wednesday

The bipartisan debt ceiling deal brokered by Joe Biden and Kevin McCarthy passed an important hurdle Tuesday evening, advancing to the full House of Representatives for debate and an expected vote on passage on Wednesday even amid opposition from far-right Republicans.

Earlier in the day, McCarthy, the Republican speaker of the US House, had insisted that supporting the debt ceiling deal would be easy" for his party and it was likely to pass through Congress despite one prominent rightwinger's verdict that the proposed agreement is a turd sandwich".