Who voted for the debt ceiling bill and who voted against it?

Congress is making a mad dash to pass legislation to suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling with the nation set to go off a fiscal cliff by 5 June according to the Treasury. The latest hurdle was cleared on Wednesday evening when the House voted 314 to 117 to advance a bill based on the negotiations between President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The agreement reached by the White House and GOP on Saturday gave Republicans limited spending cuts in exchange for their votes to allow the US to meet its financial obligations.

Both leaders called on their parties’ members to pass the legislation but in the end more Democrats heeded the call than Republicans with 165 and 149 voting in favor, respectively. Opposed were 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats with four representatives split evenly between both parties not voting.

Who voted for the debt ceiling bill and who voted against it?

Lawmakers on each side of the aisle had their own reasons for voting against the deal that will see spending reduced to below that of 2022 without touching Medicaid, defense and veterans’ health care. Most of the savings come from clawing back unused covid-19 relief funds along with cutting nondefense discretionary expenses. As well, it caps spending for the next two years and places expanded work requirements on food assistance programs.

For GOP lawmakers contrary to the bill’s passage, the spending cuts were not deep enough and they wanted more aggressive work requirements, including for Medicaid. Legislation that they passed along party lines in the House in April had also called for spending caps to run through 2033. Many of those who opposed the bill came from the Freedom Caucus, the GOP’s right flank. The caucus Chair, Scott Perry and Policy Chair Chip Roy voted against it, but Whip Warren Davidson voted in favor and Lauren Boebert, the Communications Chair did not vote.

Democrats that cast a “No” vote on the other hand were opposed to any expanded work requirements on social programs. As well, they were against environmental provisions and increased defense spending that were included in the deal. The majority of votes in opposition to the bill came from the more progressive wing of the party. Both the Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal and Whip Greg Casar voted against it.

House members that voted against the debt ceiling bill: