Boehner abandons efforts to reach comprehensive debt-reduction deal

By Paul Kane and Lori Montgomery,
Updated: Saturday, July 9, 8:41 PM

House Speaker John A. Boehner abandoned efforts Saturday night to cut a far-reaching debt-reduction deal, telling President Obama that a more modest package offers the only politically realistic path to avoiding a default on the mounting national debt.

On the eve of a critical White House meeting on the debt issue, Boehner (R-Ohio) told Obama that their plan to “go big,â€