House GOP lines up behind short-term plan to raise debt ceiling with conditions House Republicans were lining up behind a debt ceiling proposal that would raise the nation's borrowing limit temporarily while emphasizing the need for Congress to pass a budget. The plan is expected to pass Wednesday in the House when Republican leaders put it up for a vote, and the White House has signaled it wouldn't stand in the way of passage. Some Democratic lawmakers have raised objections, but it is not clear whether they are a strong enough voice to stop the proposal in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Republicans, in shifting gears in their fight against government spending and the rising debt load, have attempted to pitch their new plan as a solid step toward fiscal stability -- and they have pushed to withhold congressional pay if lawmakers don't act. Over the last four years, House Republicans have offered plans. Our budget plans -- we've done our budgets. But it's been nearly four years since the Senate has done a budget," Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday. Most Americans believe: you don't do your job, you shouldn't get paid. That's the basis for a no-budget, no pay. It's time for the Senate to act. The debt ceiling poses the first legislative battle of President Obama's second term and one that could determine whether the country once again risks default over a political fight. The Republican plan would allow the government to keep borrowing through May 18. A Fox News source who attended a meeting between Republican leaders and caucus members said Boehner tried to sell the short-term debt ceiling increase as a way of buying time for the House and Senate to pass a budget. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday that Obama would not block the bill if it passes. Democrats in Congress have generally reacted coolly to the three-month extension, which would still leave other choke points in place, including sharp, across-the-board spending cuts that would start to strike the Pentagon and domestic programs alike on March 1 and the possibility of a partial government shutdown with the expiration of a temporary budget measure on March 27. Fox News' Chad Pergranm and The Associated Press contributed to this report.