The House of Representatives approved a Republican plan to temporarily raise the debt ceiling while cutting future spending with a vote of 217–215 on April 26.
In a departure from regular order, the vote came less than 24 hours after the bill was formally introduced into the House and just 12 hours after a late-night committee, where the bill was revised by Republicans along party lines.
The move irked Democrats, who complained that there was little opportunity to read the bill and its amendments, let alone debate them.
Republican leaders portrayed the move as a starting point for a discussion on federal spending with Democrats, who hold both the Senate and the White House and can reject the legislation if they choose.
The vote is a win for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who engineered a majority vote among the fractious Republican caucus in the narrowly divided House. Four Republicans voted against the bill. Two Republicans and two Democrats didn’t vote.
Start of Negotiations
McCarthy’s stated aim is to use the bill to force President Joe Biden to negotiate over cuts to federal spending, something the president has refused to consider.
Republican Caucus Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) repeated that goal at a press conference hours ahead of the vote.
“President Biden has been missing in action on the debt ceiling, refusing to negotiate, and putting our economy and the livelihoods of hardworking American families at risk,” Stefanik said. “President Biden must work with us who represent the American people to address our nation’s spending and debt crisis.”
“House Republicans are selling out hardworking Americans in order to defend their top priority: restoring the Trump tax cuts for the wealthiest and corporations at a cost of over $3 trillion,” White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt said in an April 26 statement.
The president will veto the Limit, Save, Grow Act if it reaches his desk, according to an April 25 White House statement.
What’s In The Bill
The measure would raise the nation’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion, temporarily relieving anxiety about the prospect of a default on the nation’s financial obligations. The increase would expire on March 31, 2024, requiring another vote in less than 12 months.
