House GOP sets table for long, hot summer of debate

Setting the stage for a long summer of heated negotiations, the House plans to reject a proposal Tuesday that would increase the nation's ability to borrow funds without also making cuts in federal spending.

A day before they huddle with President Obama at the White House, Republicans will hold a vote on the administration's initial request that the nation's debt ceiling be lifted above the $14.3 trillion limit without any accompanying spending reductions. Both sides now recognize such a request is politically impossible, given the current mood of the electorate against runaway federal deficits. House GOP leaders timed the vote Tuesday to demonstrate that point before all 241 members of the Republican conference visit Obama on Wednesday. It will be his first meeting with the entire group of Republicans since they won the House majority in the November midterms.