WASHINGTON, Oct 4 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Monday said raising the debt limit is about paying off old debts and not about new spending while calling recent actions from Republican lawmakers “reckless and dangerous”. Senate Republicans have twice blocked action to raise the debt ceiling. Tensions between Democrats and Republicans ratcheted higher on Monday as the U.S. federal government had about two weeks to reach a deal on its $28.4 trillion debt ceiling or face severe economic consequences. reut.rs/3Al9bQZ Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw and Nandita Bose Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.