Senate Approves Debt Ceiling Deal
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Senate passed the debt ceiling deal in a 63-36 vote late Thursday, sending it to President Joe Biden's desk with days to spare before the nation defaults on its debt.
The Details: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and some other defense hawks had threatened to stall the bill if Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) didn't commit to a supplemental defense funding bill, which Schumer then did. Eleven amendments proposed Thursday all failed.
Key Quotes: Schumer said while "of course nobody got everything they wanted," the bill "prevented a catastrophic default that would have decimated our economy."
What the Deal Does: The legislation would raise the debt ceiling until 2025, increase work requirements on some federal safety net programs, advance a key pipeline project, revoke some IRS funding passed by Democrats last year, and establish two years of budget caps. While some Republicans opposed military spending caps, some Democrats opposed the pipeline projects and new safety net work requirements.
How the Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum focused on the last-minute drama over defense spending and amendments, but differed in framing the bipartisan vote as a praiseworthy point of agreement or merely the lesser of two evils. Politico (Lean Left bias) highlighted how the bill received "a decent showing of bipartisan support in both chambers." Wall Street Journal (Center) said the vote "reflected support from both Democrats and Republicans." Washington Examiner (Lean Right) said members of both major parties "were unhappy with the overall agreement."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Senate averts default, sends debt bill to Biden’s desk
The Senate passed the bipartisan debt deal Thursday night, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk days before the default deadline and capping off months of melodrama.
The upper chamber saw some last-minute twists of its own, after defense hawks demanded a written statement from Senate leaders committing not to block supplemental defense funding and consideration of appropriations bills. Other senators demanded what became a total of 11 amendment votes — all of which failed — resulting in more than three hours of floor time before the chamber could move to final...
From the Center
Senate Approves Deal Raising Debt Ceiling, Averting U.S. Default
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 to avert an unprecedented U.S. default.
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...
From the Right
Senate passes debt ceiling bill just in time before expected default
The Senate passed legislation negotiated by President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to suspend the debt ceiling and set federal spending limits with just enough support to pull the nation back from the brink of economic catastrophe days from Monday’s deadline when the Treasury has said the United States will start running short of cash to pay its bills.
The Senate passed the bill 63-36 despite defections among liberal and conservative senators. Those on both sides of the aisle were unhappy with the overall agreement. A group of Republican defense hawks raised objections to Pentagon funding levels that...
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