The debt ceiling deal between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden cleared its first major hurdle on Wednesday when Democrats stepped in to pass the bill through a rules vote.
Now the deal, known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act, heads to a final vote on Wednesday evening.
Democrats had long insisted that it would be up to Republicans to vote yes on the bill’s rule, but that they would succeed in the final vote.
“It’s very simple: the majority is responsible for passing the rule,” Democratic whip Katherine Clark told reporters Wednesday morning.
But after it became clear that Republicans would not be able to pass the rule alone, a stampede of Democrats took to the front of the room to change their vote, allowing the deal to move toward final approval.
The rule vote went 241 to 187: 29 Republicans opposed and 52 Democrats voted for the rule.
It is expected that more Republicans will oppose the bill in a final vote and more Democrats will then support it.
Members of the ideological far-right and far-left have voiced their opposition to the deal, while Republicans are more likely to line up to oppose the deal than Democrats.
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said McCarthy promised to deliver about 150 GOP votes, meaning McCarthy had accounted for about 70 dropouts.
Democrats would have to step in and get the rest of the vote. Jeffries said he planned to vote for the deal on Wednesday, but declined to tell reporters how many Democratic votes could be expected.
The debt ceiling deal between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden cleared its first major hurdle on Wednesday as Democrats stepped in to push the bill through a rules vote
The rule vote passed 241 to 187: 29 Republicans opposed and 52 Democrats voted for the rule
The House must first vote on the rule to move the bill forward and then proceed to a final vote on the bill.
Democratic leaders insisted it was the responsibility of Republicans to pass the rule, but Jeffries said when it comes to voting on the final bill, Democrats will “make sure we don’t default.”
The bill has at least been approved by the 64-member Problem Solvers Caucus, which consists of members from both parties, and the 100-member New Democrats Coalition.
Squad member Rep. Cori Bush announced she will oppose the deal to deny Republicans the precedent for negotiating spending cuts with every raise in the debt ceiling.
“I will vote NO because St. Louis deserves a voluntary lifting of the debt limit. We need to break the vicious, nonsensical cycle in which Republicans hold our economy hostage every few years,” she wrote on Twitter.
On the right, Texan Representative Pat Fallon said he would oppose the deal: “Why? Because the bill: – Won’t revoke billions for Biden’s armed IRS – Perpetuates Biden’s gender studies student loan bailout – Fails to ensure our defense spending keeps pace with Biden inflation.”
Other Progressive Democrats such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, NY, Ro Khanna, California, and Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal have all said they will oppose the deal.
McCarthy must walk a careful line to broker a deal with the Democrats that will avoid a catastrophic default and to hold on to his speakership.
Some right-wing members of the Freedom Caucus who refused to suspend the debt ceiling until January 1, 2025, as agreed in the deal, have floated the idea of filing a motion to vacate — in which a member could force a vote in the House floor to oust McCarthy.
Chief Negotiator Rep. Garret Graves tore up Freedom Caucus members who publicly railed against the deal even before the text was released.
When asked about Roy’s criticisms, Graves told reporters “some confidence was lost.”
“There really was, and I’m really offended.”
Rep. Chip Roy said there would be a “reckoning” if the deal passed, and “we’ll then have to regroup and figure out the whole leadership arrangement again.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Dan Bishop, RN.C., called the deal a “s*** sandwich” and insisted the motion to leave was on the table.
On Wednesday, Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., said McCarthy “should be concerned” about a motion to leave after the deal is passed.
“He will win the vote tonight, but after this vote we will discuss whether there should be a motion to leave or not,” he told CNN.
Jeffries did not rule out the possibility of Democrats stepping in to save McCarthy’s speakership, worried that the Republican alternative could be less pragmatic.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Jeffries told reporters, adding that Democrats haven’t discussed a “hypothetical.”