Debt ceiling bill passes House, moves to Senate as deadline nears

The House voted Wednesday night to pass a painstakingly negotiated bill to suspend the debt ceiling, limit federal spending and avert a catastrophic U.S. government default, securing a major win for the GOP and the White House that seemed elusive just days ago.

The deal — brokered over the weekend by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and President Biden — was an enormous test for the narrow Republican House majority, their leader’s shaky hold over his party, and a White House that had long refused to compromise on the debt ceiling at all. At times, talks unraveled; at others, McCarthy and Biden projected confidence that they could strike a deal and stave off an unprecedented default on the nation’s debt.

In the end, they got a 314-117 bipartisan vote for passage of a 99-page bill that now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers will rush to enact the legislation before Monday — when the United States will no longer be able to pay its bills.

WaPo