The Senate passed wide-ranging legislation Thursday that suspends the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling while cutting federal spending, backing a bipartisan deal struck by President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to avert an unprecedented U.S. default, the Wall Street Journal reported. The 63-36 vote reflected support from both Democrats and Republicans, with backers saying the need to raise the nation’s borrowing limit outweighed concern about provisions related to military and domestic spending and energy policy, among other contentious issues. The measure now goes to the president for his signature with several days to spare before Monday, when the Treasury Department has said that the government will run out of money to pay all of its bills. The Senate vote Thursday came after the House approved the measure late Wednesday. A strong majority of House Democrats and Republicans voted in favor of the bill, despite angry objections from conservatives that the measure didn’t do enough to control spending and protests from liberals about new work requirements. Under an agreement to allow the Senate to fast-track the vote, senators agreed to consider 11 amendments, related to issues including balancing the budget and a provision expediting the approval of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a natural-gas pipeline. All were rejected, as leaders warned that passage of any of them would require the bill to be sent back to the House, which has already left town, and force a delay in passage.
