The Senate passed a two-year bipartisan budget deal and sent it to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature, putting an end to the threat of a debt crisis this fall and easing the path toward funding the government past Sept. 30.
The vote was 67-28, with a majority of Senate Republicans supporting the measure. Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had been lobbying GOP senators hard the last several days to gain their approval, and their efforts paid off Thursday morning.
The bipartisan package — hammered out in negotiations between Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin — raises spending $320 billion over current levels, lifts the debt ceiling for two years and sets a course for funding the government without the fiscal brinkmanship of recent years, including the recent 35-day shutdown over the border wall.
"This is the agreement the administration has negotiated," McConnell said on the floor Thursday morning.
"This is the deal the House has passed. This is the deal President Trump is waiting [for] and eager to sign into law. This is the deal that every member of this body should support when we vote later this morning.
Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) were among the legislation's detractors.
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11.28.2024