House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday that he will oppose any increase in the nation’s borrowing limit unless Congress agrees to first slash spending, a move that promises a budget showdown with Democrats that could ultimately shut down the government.

“This is the only avenue I see right now to force the elected leadership of this country to solve our structural fiscal imbalance,” Boehner, R-Ohio, told a crowd at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s annual Fiscal Summit in Washington.

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