Article updated: 1/14/2013 7:10 AM

Hitting the debt limit: What bills would be paid?

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House Speaker John Boehner, left, and President Barack Obama will play principal roles in the upcoming discussions over the deficit ceiling.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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The federal government could run out of cash to pay all its bills in full as early as Feb. 15, according to one authoritative estimate, and congressional Republicans want significant spending cuts in exchange for raising the borrowing limit. President Barack Obama, forced to negotiate an increase in 2011, has pledged not to negotiate again. So, what's going to happen?