House Republicans narrowly pass debt ceiling bill


House Republicans passed a debt ceiling bill on Wednesday that cuts federal spending and rolls back major parts of President Biden's domestic agenda.
The debt ceiling is the amount of money the government is authorized to borrow to pay its bills, and if action isn't taken soon, the U.S. Treasury could default on its bills. The legislation, which narrowly passed with a 217-215 vote, raises the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion or through the end of March 2024, whichever comes first. It also caps federal spending, focusing its cuts on health care, education, science, and labor programs; repeals tax credits for clean technologies and electric vehicles; and ends Biden's plan to offer student loan relief for millions of borrowers.
"We've done our job," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said after the vote, adding that Biden can "no longer ignore" negotiations with House Republicans. In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacted to the legislation, saying, "President Biden will never force middle class and working families to bear the burden of tax cuts for the wealthiest, as this bill does. The president has made clear this bill has no chance of becoming law."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) agreed, calling the bill "dead on arrival," and accused House Republicans of "hostage taking" and bringing the U.S. "dangerously closer to defaulting." Now is the time for Biden and McCarthy to come together and reach an agreement, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters, or "we'll be at a standoff. And we shouldn't do that to the country."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies