House Passes ‘Clean’ Debt Ceiling Bill
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Architect of the Capitol(WASHINGTON) — The Republican-dominated House Tuesday passed a bill extending the U.S. Treasury’s borrowing authority until March 2015 without any concessions from the White House. Twenty-eight Republicans, including the three highest-ranked party members, joined nearly all Democrats in a 220-201 vote in favor of the so-called “clean” debt ceiling bill to say it’s enough of this infighting — at least for now.
The debt limit suspension is estimated to increase the debt ceiling by about $700 billion.
The bill now moves on to the Senate, where it’s likely to pass. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, however, told ABC News Tuesday night the House vote to raise the nation’s debt ceiling “was a mistake,” calling it, “An irresponsible course of conduct to keep giving President Obama a blank check.”
“If you get outside D.C. and you ask just about anybody, ‘Should we continue raising the debt ceiling and borrowing more and more money without fixing the underlying problems, without meaningful structural reforms and spending,’ the answer is of course not,” Cruz said in an interview Tuesday night. “And that’s true, from Republicans, from Democrats, from independents, from libertarians. It’s not an ideological position, its basic common sense to live within your means and that’s what I think Congress should be doing. “
Cruz said he will push the Senate to require 60 votes be needed to pass the debt ceiling bill, a procedural move needed to overcome his filibuster threat.
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