President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assemble a coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans to push the debt limit to passage.
WASHINGTON — A deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling is heading to a crucial vote in the House on Wednesday night, the next step in averting a potential default now just days away.
The bill, titled the « Fiscal Responsibility Act, » cleared its first major hurdle Tuesday when the House Rules Committee advanced the bill in a 7-6 vote.
A subsequent vote to begin debate on the bill, on Wednesday afternoon, was approved by the House 241-187 when about three dozen Democrats joined a majority of Republicans in voting yes.
A full floor vote is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. Eastern and the legislation is expected to pass then as well, but frustration in both parties has seen leaders working around the clock to shore up enough support among their members. The Treasury Department has estimated that the government will run out of cash to pay all of its bills by Monday.
« Today we’re gonna pass the largest cut in American history. It’s just a small step putting us on the right track, » a confident House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters as he entered the Capitol on Wednesday.
McCarthy added that « everybody has a right to their own opinion, but on history, I’d want to be here with this bill today. »
The vote will be a major test for the speaker, who faces a potential revolt from conservative hard-liners if he fails to get a majority of his conference (112 Republicans) to back the deal.
As of Wednesday morning, 32 House Republicans and counting said they were against the bill.
« We are not going to have 218 [ Republicans ] , » McCarthy on Wednesday, conceding what has seemed likely for days — his party will need Democratic votes to pass the bill and raise the debt ceiling.
