House GOP passes debt limit package: Five takeaways

After a week of internal sniping, House Republicans on Wednesday approved legislation in a 217-215 vote that would slash federal spending and extend the government’s borrowing authority into next year.

The package has no chance of becoming law in the face of opposition from the Senate and White House, both of which are controlled by Democrats, but it nonetheless represents a hard-fought victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and his leadership team.

McCarthy and his conference have demanded budget-cutting negotiations with President Biden in return for raising the debt ceiling and now have specific policy proposals — and more political leverage — heading into that fight. 

Here are five takeaways.

McCarthy squeaks out another win

In an important sense, Wednesday’s vote marked a victory for McCarthy in his first real legislative test, proving he and his leadership team can unite a discordant conference on massive budget bills despite their slim majority.