The White House and Republican congressional leaders geared up lobbying campaigns to win approval of a deal to avert a US default as environmentalists, defense hawks and conservative hard-liners condemned concessions. President Joe Biden’s cabinet members and senior White House staff already had made individual lobbying calls to at least 60 House Democrats by early Monday morning to press them for votes in favor, a Democratic official said. Both Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expressed confidence they would muster the necessary votes. And approval gained early support from prominent members of each ... (full story)