Boehner Tells Colleagues He Will Avoid Debt Default

Even if he needs to rely on Democrats

House Speaker John A. Boehner, apparently sharing Obama administration alarm about a possible debt default, has told colleagues he will act to raise the federal debt limit even if he has to rely on the votes of House Democrats, GOP aides said Thursday.

It was not immediately clear, however, whether Boehner (R-Ohio) would stand by such a position publicly or whether it would prove to be a trial balloon allowing him to gauge the reactions of the GOP's tea party wing.

President Obama warned Thursday that the looming debt-ceiling crisis could be even more damaging than the current government shutdown, which he said could end immediately if House Republicans would hold a vote on a short-term spending bill without partisan attachments.