U.S. House speaker urges Republicans to back debt ceiling bill

A bipartisan deal to raise the $31.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling should be "easy" for Republicans to vote for and was likely to pass, U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday, adding that he was not worried the agreement would threaten his leadership post.

McCarthy's comments come after fellow Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus earlier on Tuesday balked at the deal McCarthy reached with Democratic President Joe Biden to avert what would be a historic default on the nation's debt.