Debt ceiling and spending bill passes U.S. House, clearing major hurdle

The goal is to get the bill signed by President Joe Biden before Monday, when the U.S. Treasury says it will run out of money to pay its debts.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the consequential legislation package that suspends the debt ceiling while cutting government spending, clearing a crucial bar with bipartisan support as Congress races to avert a federal default.

With some Republicans voting against the measure over concerns the hard-fought compromise didn’t go far enough, it took Democrats — some of whom had their own concerns and also voted no — to secure the majority needed to send the bill to the Senate, which is set to hold its own vote later this week.

The goal is to get the bill signed by President Joe Biden before Monday, when the U.S. Treasury says it will run out of money to pay its debts.

Ever since the deal between House Republicans and the White House emerged over the weekend, lawmakers in both parties have urged members to vote for it despite their misgivings, assessing it was better than the alternative of devastating economic upheaval.

In the end, 117 House members — 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats — voted against the package.

Tensions rose earlier Wednesday when Republican support lagged on a procedural vote, but the package ultimately sailed ahead once Democrats — after waiting until it was clear Republicans didn’t have the votes on their own — unleashed their own votes in a show of bipartisan support.

Quick approval by Congress would ensure government checks will continue to go out to Social Security recipients, veterans and others, and would prevent financial upheaval at home and abroad. Economists around the world have been watching nervously as negotiators and now lawmakers furiously work to avoid the so-called “X-date” of default.

Both Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have spent the week shoring up support within their parties to back the legislation.