House Republicans on Wednesday narrowly passed a bill to increase the nation’s debt ceiling while cutting federal government spending, and while the legislation has no prospect of becoming law, Republican leaders hope it will help force negotiations with Democrats. The proposal, known as the Limit, Save, Grow Act, passed 217-215, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in voting no. Those Republicans were Representatives Andy Biggs, Ken Buck, Tim Burchett and Matt Gaetz. Wednesday’s vote was the latest test of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-California) leadership of his conference. Given the narrow Republican majority in the House, he could only afford four defections on the bill — and he agreed to a series of 11th hour compromises this week with GOP holdouts, such as adding more stringent work requirements for certain federal programs and restoring ethanol tax credits, which the White House blasted as an unfair “carve out.” There is no scenario in which the president would sign the bill that barely cleared the chamber on Wednesday. Along with raising the limit, it included spending cuts, new supports for oil and gas drilling and the near-total reversal of Mr. Biden’s signature law meant to fight climate change.
For today, the Senate convened at noon and will have votes at 12:30 P.M. on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Equal Rights Amendment, a measure that could allow the Equal Rights Amendment to be added to the Constitution, though Republican opposition will likely doom the measure to failure. The Senate will also take up a motion to invoke cloture on Anthony Devos Johnstone to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit.
The House met at 9:00 A.M. for legislative business and at 11:00 A.M. met in a Joint Meeting, to hear an address from His Excellency Yoon Suk Yeol, President of the Republic of Korea. The House is also expected to consider H. Con. Res. 30 – Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove all United States Armed Forces, other than United States Armed Forces assigned to protect the United States Embassy, from Somalia.
