(MCT) — WASHINGTON — Stepping up their austerity campaign, House Republicans plan to demand far deeper spending cuts from President Barack Obama to balance the federal budget in just 10 years, an extraordinary goal that would hit Medicare and other safety-net programs.

House Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, confronted with a more conservative Republican majority, agreed to the dramatic initiative to coax reluctant rank-and-file lawmakers Wednesday to approve a temporary suspension of the $16.4 trillion debt limit without any cuts in spending.