June 1, 2023 Senate passes US debt ceiling bill
By Adrienne Vogt, Allison Morrow, Maureen Chowdhury, Tori B. Powell and Amir Vera, CNN
Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the debt ceiling talks here or read through the posts below.
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.
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."
From CNN's Nicky Robertson
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a statement on the passage of the debt ceiling agreement.
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:
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.
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju
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.
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."
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.
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders expressed their frustration with the debt limit deal struck between the White House and Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
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."
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."
From CNN's Manu Raju
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.
From CNN's Clare Foran and Nicky Robertson
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."
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.
Tight deadline: What's in the bill: Full statement: Sen. Peter Welch, , Sen. Joni Ernst Sen. Mitt Romney,