Frustrated House Approves 'Clean' Debt Limit Hike

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to raise the government's borrowing limit.

The bill passed on a 221-201 vote without any spending conditions and comes after a reversal in strategy by Republican House Speaker John Boehner.

Republicans had insisted that any increase in the borrowing limit had to come attached to deficit reduction provisions.

But Boehner said President Barack Obama's refusal to negotiate pushed Republicans to act now, before another dramatic last-minute showdown.

"Our members are not crazy about voting to increase the debt ceiling," Boehner said. "Our members are also very upset with the president."

"He won't negotiate," the speaker continued. "He won't deal with our long-term spending problems without us raising taxes -- won't even sit down and discuss these issues."

"He's the one driving up the debt," Boehner charged. "Then the question they're asking is, 'Well, why should I deal with his debt limit?'"

The bill now heads to the Senate for final approval.

Meanwhile, the head of the Congressional Budget Office warned Congress Tuesday that America's rising debt raises the risk of a fiscal crisis in coming years.