Republican and Democratic lawmakers are today expected to vote on a White House-backed deal to raise the US borrowing limit and avert an unprecedented default.
The Democratic-led Senate is expected to pass the deal which raises the debt ceiling and cuts about $2.4 trillion from the deficit over the next decade.
But it may face tougher opposition in the House of Representatives where both conservative Tea Party supporters and liberal lawmakers have expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement.
While the deal comes just in time to avoid a catastrophic default, Washington and investors will be closely watching to see if it goes far enough to convince credit rating agencies to let the United States keep its coveted triple-A credit rating.
Standard & Poor's has been the toughest of the rating agencies with its warnings of possible downgrades if the United States failed to agree on a viable long-term deficit reduction program.
The world's largest economy has already been tainted by the political squabbling that delayed action on the debt ceiling until the last minute.
The dysfunction in Washington could contribute to S&P's assessment. A credit downgrade would undermine confidence in US solvency and stunt economic recovery prospects.
Financial markets in Asia showed signs of relief after the debt deal was announced, with stocks and the dollar rising and safe haven gold dropping. But investors were still wary since the deal must be voted on and because of the possibility of a downgrade.
The plan involves a two-step process for reducing the US deficit. The first phase calls for about $900 billion in spending cuts over the next decade and the next $1.5 trillion in savings must be found by a special congressional committee. Congress must act by December 23rd under the deal.
Republicans had insisted on deep spending cuts before they would consider raising the $14.3 trillion limit on US borrowing, turning a normally routine legislative matter into a dangerous game of brinkmanship.
After weeks of acrimonious impasse and with the final outcome hinging on support from recalcitrant lawmakers, President Barack Obama pressured Congress to pass the deal.
"I want to urge members of both parties to do the right thing and support this deal with your votes over the next few days," Mr Obama said in a televised address at the White House last night.
But Mr Obama, like congressional leaders, noted that it was not the deal that he would have preferred but it was a compromise.
Many in the anti-Washington conservative Tea Party movement, who helped Republicans win power in the House in last year's election and who oppose any hike in the debt limit, criticised the deal.
Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips called it "a complete victory for liberals" and said the spending cuts were "a joke".
But despite that opposition and a muted response from House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who is crucial to delivering enough votes to offset Republican defections, congressional insiders expect the deal to pass in both the House and Senate.
Reuters