June 1, 2023 Senate passes US debt ceiling bill

By Adrienne Vogt, Allison Morrow, Maureen Chowdhury, Tori B. Powell and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 11:58 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023
33 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
11:48 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Senate Majority Leader praises Democrats' role in debt ceiling agreement

From CNN's Nicky Robertson

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer touted Democrats’ role in the debt ceiling agreement after the Senate passed the bill Thursday night.

“Tonight's vote is a good outcome because Democrats did a very good job taking the worst parts of the Republican plan off the table,” Schumer told reporters. 

Schumer celebrated that the US has avoided default as a result of the vote – and the bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed.

“May be a little tired, but we did it. So we're very, very happy. Default was the giant sword hanging over America's head, but because of the good work of President Biden, as well as Democrats, in the House and Democrats in the Senate, we are not defaulting,” the New York senator said.

Asked about the inclusion of legislation to expedite the creation of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which Sen. Joe Manchin has been pushing, Schumer said that he had promised Manchin he would include it in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and wanted to “stick to his word.”

“The Mountain Valley Pipeline was part of a whole deal that we that we had originally, that I had originally struck with Manchin in the IRA. You take the whole plan, and it does a huge amount of good for the environment. I stick by my word,” he said.
11:18 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023

McConnell says passage of debt limit bill was "important step toward fiscal sanity"

From CNN's Nicky Robertson

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement on the passage of the debt ceiling agreement.

“Four months after Speaker McCarthy invited President Biden to begin negotiating a resolution to the looming debt crisis, an important step toward fiscal sanity will finally become law,” his statement said.
11:18 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Biden praises Congress for passing debt limit bill and says he looks forward to signing it

President Joe Biden, just moments after the Senate passed the debt limit bill, praised Congress for its efforts and said in a statement that he looked forward to signing the legislation.

He plans to address the nation Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Full statement:

Tonight, Senators from both parties voted to protect the hard-earned economic progress we have made and prevent a first-ever default by the United States. Together, they demonstrated once more that America is a nation that pays its bills and meets its obligations—and always will be. I want to thank Leader Schumer and Leader McConnell for quickly passing the bill.
No one gets everything they want in a negotiation, but make no mistake: this bipartisan agreement is a big win for our economy and the American people.
It protects the core pillars of my Investing in America agenda that is creating good jobs across the country, fueling a resurgence in manufacturing, rebuilding our infrastructure, and advancing clean energy. It safeguards peoples’ health care and retirement security, protecting bedrock programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. It protects vital investments in hardworking families that help make our country strong—from child care and education, to public safety and Meals on Wheels. It protects my student debt relief plan for hardworking borrowers. And it honors America’s sacred obligation to our veterans by fully funding veterans’ medical care.
Our work is far from finished, but this agreement is a critical step forward, and a reminder of what’s possible when we act in the best interests of our country. I look forward to signing this bill into law as soon as possible and addressing the American people directly tomorrow.
10:58 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Senate passes debt limit bill

The US Senate has passed the debt limit bill, averting a US default. The final vote tally was 63 to 36. 

The bill can now go to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The measure would suspend the nation’s debt limit through January 1, 2025, to avert a first-ever US default. 

9:57 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Senators defend their support of the debt ceiling deal

From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju 

Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Joni Ernst, and Sen. Mitt Romney.
Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Joni Ernst, and Sen. Mitt Romney. Mariam Zuhaib/AP; Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Bonnie Cash/Reuters

Senators from both parties on Thursday night defended their decision to support the debt ceiling deal, despite their concerns about the legislation.

Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat, noted that while he had some concerns about the deal, he planned to vote for it anyway. He said his "biggest concern" is that there is no default.

"We gotta pay our bills in full and on time,” the Vermont senator said. “I'd like to get rid of the debt ceiling, because this hostage-taking sort of approach is becoming institutionalized, very dangerous to the country. So, bottom line, we got to pay our bills.” 

On the concessions made by the White House to get to a deal, Welch said, “I don't like any of them, but the good news is we preserved and protected all of the big initiatives of the Biden administration in the last year. But no, I don't like this.”

However, he said that the administration handled the negotiations, “just right.”

Sen. Joni Ernst said she is concerned about the defense spending in the bill, but that she thinks "these are things that we can overcome.”

“We do need to do something to control spending, and I think this is a great first step. I think that Kevin McCarthy negotiated a good deal – for now,” the Iowa Republican said. “It’s not a perfect bill, but I think it’s a darn better situation than what we had, maybe, several months ago.”

Sen. Mitt Romney, a fellow Republican, said passing this bill is better than the alternatives of a clean increase to the debt ceiling or a default.

“There’s some positive things about this bill. Is it net better than just a pure debt limit increase? Yeah. Is it better than a default? A lot better than a default. So it’s a step forward,” the Utah senator said. “Is it a home run? No. It’s maybe a single, maybe a double, but I don’t think anyone expected that Kevin McCarthy could deliver any base runners at all, and he has.”
9:54 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Warren and Sanders express frustration over debt limit deal

From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Kevin Dietsch/Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders expressed their frustration with the debt limit deal struck between the White House and Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“We should never have been put in this position to begin with. This is about paying the ransom to a bunch of hostage takers,” Warren told CNN. “And that is not how we should run this government. It's not good for the people of this country and it's not good for the position of the United States all around the world.” 

Asked what her major concerns are, Warren said "it’s every part of this.” She said the bill will negatively impact climate change, food security and student loan debt.

Warren also said the deal is "a giveaway to billionaires."

"It makes sure that billionaire tax cheats will be able to keep cheating and have less opportunities to get caught," Warren claimed.

When pressed on whether she would vote for the bill anyway, Warren replied: “I am for saving the country. This is what it's like to pay a ransom. So I'm gonna go in there, I'm gonna watch how the votes go, but when you're paying ransom, it's not about do you think that's a great deal. The point is you got to save the country. Somebody has to be the grownups in the room and it sure is not the Republicans.”

Sanders, who has said he would vote against the bill, said it was “not a good deal.”

“All I can tell you is that we live in a society where working people are falling further behind and the wealthiest people are doing phenomenally well. So tonight, corporate America is pretty happy, richest people are feeling pretty good." he said. "But if you are a working class person, elderly person, low income person, then maybe not so good. Maybe you’re going to lose a little of your benefits. Not a good deal.”
9:35 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Schumer and McConnell promise they will try to avert automatic spending cuts outlined in debt bill

From CNN's Manu Raju

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell. Anna Moneymaker/Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell issued a rare joint statement Thursday night, saying their chamber would attempt to pass 12 annual spending bills this year in order to avoid an across-the-board spending cut outlined in the debt ceiling bill.

In the bill negotiated between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden, federal agencies would be subject to a 1% across-the-board cut if Congress does not approve the funding bills by Jan. 1 and instead approves a stop-gap bill known as a continuing resolution.

GOP senators were alarmed by the proposal, warning it could amount to a detrimental cut to defense programs.

So, they pressed Senate leaders to issue a statement saying the Senate would attempt to pass the funding bills by year's end — something that Congress struggles with every year, especially in times of divided government.

8:48 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Schumer says debt limit deal won’t limit Senate’s ability to pass future defense aid packages

From CNN's Clare Foran and Nicky Robertson

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) walks to the Senate Chambers in the U.S. Capitol Building on June 1 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) walks to the Senate Chambers in the U.S. Capitol Building on June 1 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the debt limit deal will not limit the Senate’s ability to pass future emergency defense aid packages, including in support of Ukraine.

His comments, made on the floor ahead of the final vote, come after many GOP senators criticized the bill for inadequate defense spending and pushed for a commitment from leadership in support of Ukraine. 

Schumer said he wanted to reassure “our friends across the world about the Senate’s commitment and ability to respond to emerging threats and needs."

He added: "This debt ceiling deal does nothing to limit the Senate’s ability to appropriate emergency supplemental funds to ensure our military capabilities are sufficient to deter China, Russia and our other adversaries — and respond to growing and ongoing national security threats, including Russia’s evil ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine."
8:09 p.m. ET, June 1, 2023

Senate begins process to pass debt limit bill tonight

The US Senate has begun the process of passing the debt limit bill to avert a US default.

Senators will first vote on 11 proposed amendments, which are all expected to fail, before voting on the final bill.

The bill needs 51 votes to pass the Senate. If passed, the bill will then be sent to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.

In addition to suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025, the bill caps non-defense spending, expands work requirements for some food stamp recipients and claws back some Covid-19 relief funds.

Read more about what's in the bill here.