[us House Speaker McCarthy's debt deal with Republican hardliners could lead to a government shutdown] House Speaker McCarthy this week at the request of super-hardline members of the Republican Party, agreed to push for spending cuts in the House of Representatives by another $120 billion more than the spending ceiling agreed about two weeks ago, a move that could lead to another shutdown of the US government in October and exacerbate the risk of recession. Democrats expressed dissatisfaction with McCarthy's move to abandon the original agreement. "if we ignore the laws of the country, we are almost certain that the government will shut down," said Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. Economist Anna Wong estimates that cutting spending by another $120 billion in fiscal year 2024 will reduce u.s. economic growth by 0.1% in 2023 and 0.25% in 2024. (Bloomberg)