Democracy Dies in Darkness

Debt ceiling bill passes House, moves to Senate as deadline nears

Lawmakers are rushing to avert a disastrous June 5 U.S. government default after weeks of touch-and-go negotiations

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Updated May 31, 2023 at 9:27 p.m. EDT|Published May 31, 2023 at 5:00 a.m. EDT

The House advanced a bipartisan bill that would raise the debt ceiling for the next two years, sending it to the Senate ahead of the June 5 deadline. (Video: The Washington Post, Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

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The House voted Wednesday night to pass a painstakingly negotiated bill to suspend the debt ceiling, limit federal spending and avert a catastrophic U.S. government default, securing a major win for the GOP and the White House that seemed elusive just days ago.

The deal — brokered over the weekend by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and President Biden — was an enormous test for the narrow Republican House majority, their leader’s shaky hold over his party and a White House that had long refused to compromise on the debt ceiling at all. At times, talks unraveled; at others, McCarthy and Biden projected confidence that they could strike a deal and stave off an unprecedented default on the nation’s debt.