House votes to raise debt ceiling, sends bill to Biden’s desk

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to lift the federal debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion early Wednesday and will send the bill to President Biden’s desk for final approval.

The House voted 221-209 in favor of the increase after the Senate voted to avoid a U.S. default. The votes followed months of discord on Capitol Hill. The Senate vote was also along party lines, 50-49.

Lawmakers expect the increase, which raises the debt ceiling to roughly $31.5 trillion, to last beyond the upcoming midterm elections and into 2023. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said lawmakers had until Wednesday to raise the debt ceiling or risk a potential default on U.S. obligations.

Earlier, Republicans agreed to a one-time exception to the filibuster, allowing the Democrats to pass the debt hike by a

Read more
House passes procedural bill to raise the debt ceiling

House lawmakers passed a procedural bill Tuesday allowing the Senate to raise the debt ceiling by 222-212, clearing the way for Democrats to proceed without needing Republican support.

The bill now proceeds to the Senate, where at least 10 Republicans will have to join Democrats in voting in favor of the procedure. From there, the Senate will vote to raise the debt ceiling by a fixed dollar amount, with passage obtainable by a simple majority vote.

“Once the Senate has passed the legislation lifting the debt limit, the House will take up that bill and send it to the President,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic lawmakers ahead of the vote.

Only one Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, voted for the House bill.

House Speaker

Read more