Barbara Sprunt
Barbara Sprunt is a producer on NPR's Washington desk, where she reports and produces breaking news and feature political content. She formerly produced the NPR Politics Podcast and got her start in radio at as an intern on NPR's Weekend All Things Considered and Tell Me More with Michel Martin. She is an alumnus of the Paul Miller Reporting Fellowship at the National Press Foundation. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., and a Pennsylvania native.
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As the threat of a financial default neared, the Senate approved compromise, bipartisan legislation to lift the debt ceiling with just days to spare. -
The House overwhelmingly approved the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 Wednesday evening on a 314-117 vote. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will need 60 votes before it would go to Biden.
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Lawmakers are working against the clock to avert an unprecedented debt default. The Treasury Department has said the U.S. could run out of money to pay its bills as soon as June 5.
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McCarthy, who struck a compromise deal to avoid a debt default, faces criticism from members of his own conference and a potential threat that could oust him as speaker. He says his job is secure.
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Rep. Garret Graves was critical in helping Kevin McCarthy get the votes to be elected speaker. Now, he's taking the lead at the negotiating table on how to avoid a historic debt default.
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House Republicans insist there's a gulf between them and the White House on key areas on how to resolve the looming debt ceiling deadline.
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The two leaders met in person Monday at the White House after a "productive" phone call on Sunday about the debt ceiling. The U.S. could run out of money to pay its bills as early as June 1.
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters he had a "productive" phone call with President Biden as he travels back to Washington. Negotiators for the pair will resume talks Sunday evening.
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Negotiators between the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's team briefly paused talks on Friday. There's a little more than a week before the country runs out of money to pay its bills.
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Progressive Democratic lawmakers raised the alarm over comments Biden made earlier this week suggesting he's entertaining possible changes to federal safety net programs.
