Sound Off: What do you think about Washington's Debt Deal?

After weeks of heated debate, a deal to avert an unprecedented U.S. debt default was reached Tuesday, as the Senate voted 74-26 following an announcement late Sunday by Congressional leaders that a compromise had been worked out. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the deal. 

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

Officials had feared that if a deal was not reached, the country would default on its national debt for the first time in history, causing economic upheaval. The agreement would not raise taxes.

Joe Mitchell, a 70-year-old retired union ironworker in Ross Township, said he thinks the leaders in Washington should take a pay cut to control the debt. In the meantime, he's happy the crisis was averted. 

“They had to pass it and I’m damn glad they did – otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten my Social Security check tomorrow," he said. "This country’s been in debt since 1941. Now it’s just bigger numbers. Hundreds of millions back then. Now it’s trillions. I think the assholes in Washington should take a cut in pay – see how they like it.”

Aundrea Karayusuf, 31, of Portland Ore., who is in town visiting her husband's family, said a hard look at the country's finances is needed and priorities made.

"Instead of just raising taxes we need to take a hard look at our finances and cut things that don’t need to be there … [such as] grants for universities and the sciences. I’ve heard many people talking about applying for huge grants – free money for academia. We need to cut that and keep in mind that there are folks with disabilities who can’t care for themselves who need that help," she said. 

As he stood in front of the PNC Bank in West View this afternoon, Greg Gribble, 27, of the North Side, said he, too, believes more spending should be cut to solve the problem. 

“There’s no reason why they can’t have a balanced budget every year. We balance our budget every year. So why shouldn’t they?" he said. "This [vote] shouldn’t have caught anyone as a surprise. If anything I think the cuts now are too little too far away. They’re talking about cuts to begin in the next decade – at the earliest in 2014. But they need to happen sooner. Why not 2012?"

Gribble's wife, Katie, who is 25, said she agreed the first step is a balanced budget. 

But, "there’s no easy answer," she said. 

Tarra Goochis, also 25, said cutting spending isn't it. Tax the rich, she said. 

“All these cuts in spending always seem to hurt the middle class people," said Goochis who lives in Bloomfield and works at West View Auto Body. "It seems like there are always breaks for the people with money and the lobbyists but the rest of us get screwed over.”