美国众议院通过债务限制法案

The US House of Representatives has passed by 269 votes to 161 a last-gasp deal to avoid a federal debt default.

美国众议院以269对161的选票最终通过了避免债务拖欠的决议。

The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday.

It raises the debt limit by up to $2.4tn (£1.5tn) - from $14.3tn - making savings of at least $2.1tn in 10 years.

There were cheers as Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords made her first appearance on Capitol Hill since she was shot in Tucson in January.

After months of bitterly partisan（党派的） deadlock, House Republican and Democratic leaders swung behind the bill on Monday, ratifying a deal sealed the night before with a phone call from House Speaker John Boehner to President Obama.

Deadline looms

House Democrats were evenly split on the legislation - 95 for and 95 against - while 174 Republicans voted for the measure and 66 opposed it.

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid said the upper chamber would vote on the deal at 12:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

That vote will take place barely 12 hours before Washington is due - according to the US treasury department - to become unable to meet all its bills.

The vote in the Republican-controlled House was considered the biggest obstacle to the legislation; its approval by the Democratic-controlled Senate is viewed as all but certain.

In a key point for President Obama, the bill would raise the debt ceiling into 2013 - meaning he would not face another congressional showdown（摊牌） on spending in the middle of his re-election campaign next year.

The compromise deal deeply angered both right-wing Republicans and left-wing Democrats.

Liberals have been unhappy that the plan relies on spending cuts only and does not include tax rises, although Mr Obama could still let Bush-era tax cuts for the top brackets expire in January 2013.

House Republicans were displeased that the bill did not include more savings.

Ms Giffords - who has undergone a number of operations since she was shot in the head in January - caught lawmakers by surprise when she appeared on the floor of the House on Monday evening.

There was a standing ovation（长时间起立鼓掌） and embraces for the Democratic representative, who voted in favour of raising the debt ceiling.

Ms Giffords, who moved through the chamber with minimal assistance from an aide, blew kisses and said: "Thank you, thank you."

Announcing the deal on Sunday evening, President Obama said though it was not the one he would have preferred, it was a "serious downpayment" on the US deficit.