The US House of Representatives has passed a two-year bi-partisan budget plan. It promises to provide some relief from the automatic spending cuts demanded by increasing federal outlays over the next two years. It shifts the cuts to other savings, including increased airport security fees and changes to federal pension programs, and offers up to 23 billion US dollars in additional deficit reduction over 10 years. It now needs to be passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate before being sent to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.
But the debate leading up to the vote exposed ideological rifts in the Republican Party. Republican House Speaker John Boehner erupted in anger at external conservative groups who opposed the deal, saying they had "lost all credibility" and stepped "over the line" by urging lawmakers to oppose the bill.