Residents Weigh In on Debt Deal and Congress

Congressional leaders announced late Sunday that a deal to avert an unprecedented U.S. debt default was reached, though its not clear how the bipartisan plan will impact the country's credit rating.

Local residents who spoke to Patch were still trying to figure out what the deal ultimately means, while others had their own opinions about the overall behavior in Congress leading up to the deal.

 who only identified himself by his first name, Frank, said he thinks both sides behaved like kindergarteners who wanted to take their ball home.

"It's horrible, both sides. Those people don't know what the hell they're doing."

Rose Mitchell of said it seems Congress wants to take from senior citizens who are vulnerable. She said politicians should be forced to live in the ghetto for a year if they want to serve in office.

"Not overnight, but for a year," she said. "Then come live with the middle class."

The deal calls for a first round of cuts totaling $917 billion over the next decade and authorizes the president to raise the national debt limit by more than $900 billion, according to our partners at the Huffington Post. 

The next round of nearly $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction will be decided by a 12-member bipartisan committee of lawmakers. The committee will be composed of members of both the House and Senate.  

This "Super Congress" must present the cuts to fellow lawmakers by Thanksgiving. The full Congress will not have the power to amend or filibuster the committee's recommendations. 

Lawmakers will vote today on the debt measure. Officials feared that if a deal was not reached by tomorrow, the country would default on its national debt for the first time in history, causing economic upheaval. 

In the end, it seemed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were displeased with the outcome of the deal, according to reports. 

Have you been following the negotiations? Were you concerned about a national debt default?

How might this new deal impact local communities such as Sewickley? Share your thoughts with Patch and your neighbors.