Senate permits gov't to borrow an additional $1.9T

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP)—Senate Democrats are counting on their soon-to-expire 60-vote majority to raise the U.S. debt ceiling by $1.9 trillion so they do not have to take more politically painful votes on government borrowing until after the November elections.

They have no room for error. In the face of monolithic Republican opposition, they will need all 60 votes Thursday to let the government continue borrowing almost 40 percent of what it spends, much of it from China and other Asian nations who buy U.S. securities.

The legislation would put the government on track for a national debt of $14.3 trillion—equal to about $45,000 for every American—and provide a vivid reminder of the United States' dire fiscal straits. New estimates released by the Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday show that the U.S. this year could run a deficit matching last year's record $1.4 trillion shortfall.