Debt Ceiling Bill Passes House with Broad Bipartisan Support, But Virginia Delegation Splits on Vote

Measure Moves to Senate Where Passage Could Be Complicated By Planned Amendments 

Your League called the offices of every member of Virginia’s Congressional Delegation in the run-up to last night’s vote on the debt ceiling bill, urging a speedy resolution to the crisis. While the bill passed with broad bipartisan support in the House, passage in the Senate could prove trickier. The bill must garner at least 60 votes in the Senate to pass, and a vote could come as early as tonight.

“A debt default would be a catastrophe for the U.S. economy and the global economic system,” said League President/CEO Carrie Hunt. “We remain engaged with Sens. Warner and Kaine on this issue, and we’ll be closely tracking the Senate debate and the expected introduction of amendments by Sen. Kaine and others.” 

In last night’s House vote, the Virginia delegation were split on the measure with Reps. Rob Wittman (R-1), Jen Kiggans (R-2), Jennifer McClellan (D-4), Abigail Spanberger (D-7), Don Beyer (D-8), and Jennifer Wexton (D-10) voting for the bill, while Bobby Scott (D-3), Bob Good (R-5), Ben Cline (R-6), Morgan Griffith (R-9), and Gerry Connolly (D-11) voted against it.

UPDATE: Senate passes debt ceiling bill, heads to President Biden’s desk

The U.S. Senate has passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act – the bipartisan bill to suspend the debt ceiling until January of 2025. The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk for signature. In the lead up to the vote on the bill, the Senate first had to vote on 11 proposed amendments, including one proposed by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine opposing a natural gas pipeline project. Senator Kaine’s amendment, along with the others, were all voted down before the final vote on the bill. The final count was 63-36, with Senators Kaine and Warner both voting in favor of the legislation.