A debt deal appears to be getting closer

Politics

With seven days until the earliest possible federal default, negotiators appear to be inching closer to a deal, according to multiple people close to the talks, as Republicans and the White House work to close the critical gap on spending levels.

Emerging from Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s office midday Thursday, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) said negotiators are “on approach on so many issues.”

“Closer? Yes. Is it more difficult? Yes,” said McHenry, one of his party’s dealmakers in the private debt limit talks.