Reagan raised the debt ceiling 18 times. George W raised it 7 times. Never any whining from congress for the USA to pay its bills until the current radical right politicians played games with the USA's credit rating and caused the rating to be dropped.
And FYI for those of you who don't like to read much; the debt ceiling increase was agreed to in August when the repubs were playing their game. Congress doesn't have to approve it. Congress has an option to vote against it, but Obama can veto that. It's a done deal.
Do not fret. When revenues are down and the economy is floundering, debt makes sense (a necessary evil, you might say). Even Ronnie Reagan believed that. In the long run, its a much better option than putting government employees out of work and cutting programs for people who need them most, which just takes money out of the economy, and would lengthen the recession. That's why you really really shouldn't vote republican if you love this country.