US lawmakers say ‘yea’ to crucial debt deal

The US lawmakers have voted in favor of the emergency deal to raise the country’s debt ceiling and avoid a potentially devastating default.

The House of Representatives has voted 269 to 161 to approve the debt- limit bill which was worked out by President Barack Obama and congressional leaders. The bill will now go to the Senate, the upper chamber of the US Congress, which is to vote on Tuesday.

The debt agreement will lead to at least US$2.4 trillion of cuts in federal spending over a period of 10 years, allowing American borrowing to continue.

The crucial vote was attended by Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in the Tucson massacre in January. The lawmakers applauded as Giffords unexpectedly appeared in the House.

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