Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had previously said Kevin McCarthy « needs to understand that he is not entitled to votes from a party that he does not belong to. »
The debt ceiling deal negotiated by President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy easily passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday, by 314 votes to 117, though there was opposition from within both the Democratic and Republican parties.
Under its terms, the U.S. debt limit will be raised from $31.5 trillion for the next two years, preventing America from defaulting on its debts in early June. It was opposed by both Republicans who wanted spending cuts to go deeper and Democrats who believed they went too far and were angered by expanded work requirements for those on food assistance programs.
The bill will now go before the Senate where it requires 60 votes to pass, and is expected to face further opposition from the right and left flanks of both parties. If passed, the U.S. will avoid the first default on its debt, with experts warning this would have a severe and unpredictable impact on the economy.
A provisional debt agreement was reached between Biden and McCarthy on Saturday, before a finalized version was approved the following day.
