Congress Debt Ceiling

FILE – Then-House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of Calif., right, joined by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Va., speaks to reporters about President Obama’s debt reduction plan and other issues, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Sept. 20, 2013. Lessons learned from the debt ceiling standoff more than a decade ago are rippling through Washington. Back in 2011 the debate around raising the debt ceiling was eerily familiar. Newly elected House Republicans were eager to confront the Democratic president and force spending cuts. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)