Washington, DC, Aug 02, 2011 — Congress passed legislation this week allowing the U.S. to raise its debt ceiling, avoiding an unprecedented default. The bill quickly passed the Senate, and President Obama signed it into law Tuesday afternoon.

North Country Representative Bill Owens voted in favor of the bill, but called the process "unnecessarily ugly."

The last-minute measure passed both the House and the Senate with healthy bipartisan support. In addition to raising the federal debt limit, the legislation promises some $2 trillion in budget cuts over the next 10 years. Chris Morris spoke with Owens, who says the bill protects Social Security and Medicare.  Go to full article