Ted Cruz loses battle over debt ceiling conditions, 12 Republicans join Dems to increase borrowing
Congress passes an increase to the country’s debt limit through March 2015, which will allow federal borrowing without any conditions after a dramatic shift in voting Wednesday.
Republican Ted Cruz pressed to attach “meaningful conditions” that would help reduce U.S. deficits.
Noting the approaching snowstorm, Senators agreed to waive the required debate time to pass the House bill by holding the procedural vote on Wednesday, with the final vote immediately following it.
After the results were in, some Republicans said their party was furious with Cruz for forcing a number of them to cast votes that could open them up to attacks from Tea Party conservatives opposed to any debt limit increase whatsoever.
Cruz, however, was unapologetic.
“Today’s vote is yet another example that establishment politicians from both parties are simply not listening to the American people,” he said. “Outside the beltway, Americans of all political stripes understand that we cannot keep spending money we don’t have.”
A decision by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn, who are both up for re-election this year, to vote to advance the measure appeared to kick the procedural tally over the needed 60 votes.
Several other Republicans changed their votes to follow their leadership. In the end, 12 Republicans joined Democrats in advancing the bill, on a vote of 67-31.
The measure, which then passed the Senate on a final, party-line vote of 55-43, now goes to Obama to be signed into law.
The House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a majority, passed the measure in a close vote a day earlier, after Republicans dropped the efforts to add conditions which failed over the past three years.
Financial experts claim this brings “relief to financial markers” as “Investors were becoming increasingly jittery ahead of February 27, the date by which the U.S. Treasury had been warning its borrowing authority would be exhausted, putting federal payments at risk.”
“I’m pleased that Republicans and Democrats in Congress have come together to pay for what they’ve already spent, and remove the threat of default from our economy once and for all,” President Obama said in a statement, adding that he hoped “this puts an end to politics by brinkmanship.”
To Senator Chuck Schumer (NY-D) the defeat of the filibuster bid by Cruz signaled that “the American political world is moving in our direction.”
“Republicans are trying to put tea party politics in the rear view mirror,” he said.
[…] […]
[…] […]
[…] Ted Cruz loses battle over debt ceiling condition…The Global DispatchCongress passes an increase to the country's debt limit through March 2015, which will allow federal borrowing without any conditions after a dramatic shift in voting Wednesday. Ted Cruz donkeyhotey Republican Ted Cruz pressed to attach “meaningful …Did Ted Cruz just cost Republicans the Senate?The Week MagazineSen. Mike Johanns' support during tense Senate vote helped lead to approval of …Omaha World-HeraldTea party tees off on McConnell after debt voteBradenton Herald […]