Who voted against the debt ceiling bill in the Senate? These 36 lawmakers opposed it (2024)

WASHINGTON −The debt ceiling deal is on its way to President Joe Biden's desk after the legislation passed in the Senate Thursday night. That means the nation is one step closer to dodging a default.

Sixty-three senators backed the bill, but four Democrats and 31 Republicans said they couldn't support it, as well as independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. All 11 amendments introduced on the Senate floor Thursday failed to pass.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., did not vote Thursday evening after flying home to attend his son’s high school graduation ceremony, according to his spokesperson.

Republican senators demanded more defense spending, calling the allocated funds in the deal inadequate. The legislation caps defense spending in 2024 at $886 billion and $895 billion in fiscal year 2025.

One Democrat, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, introduced an amendment that would have removed a provision from the bill approving the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a natural gas pipeline project in West Virginia that would cut through parts of his state. Kaine criticized the White House for not informing lawmakers that the provision was included in debt limit negotiations. The amendment failed to pass.

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Here's a list of the senators who opposed the bill:

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36 senators oppose debt ceiling legislation

Who voted against the debt ceiling bill in the Senate? These 36 lawmakers opposed it (1)

Republicans:

  • Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming
  • Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee
  • Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana
  • Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama
  • Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina
  • Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
  • Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas
  • Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho
  • Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas
  • Sen. Steve Daines of Montana
  • Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska
  • Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
  • Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri
  • Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi
  • Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin
  • Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana
  • Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma
  • Sen. Mike Lee of Utah
  • Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming
  • Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas
  • Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky
  • Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska
  • Sen. James Risch of Idaho
  • Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida
  • Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri
  • Sen. Rick Scott of Florida
  • Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina
  • Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska
  • Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama
  • Sen. JD Vance of Ohio
  • Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi

Democrats:

  • Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
  • Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
  • Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts
  • Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon

Independents:

  • Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont
Who voted against the debt ceiling bill in the Senate? These 36 lawmakers opposed it (2024)

FAQs

Did Sanders vote for debt ceiling? ›

NEWS: Sanders to Vote 'No' on Debt Ceiling Deal.

Who voted for the CR? ›

107 Republicans and 207 Democrats voted in favor of the bill, which required the support of two-thirds of the chamber as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)

How many votes are needed to pass a bill in the Senate? ›

On Third Reading, the author presents the bill for passage by the entire house. Most bills require a majority vote (it must pass by 21 votes in the Senate and 41 votes in the Assembly), while urgency measures and appropriation bills require a two-thirds vote (27 in the Senate, 54 in the Assembly).

How they voted Senate? ›

In a roll-call vote, each senator votes “yea” or “nay” as his or her name is called by the clerk, who records the votes on a tally sheet. In most cases a simple majority is required for a measure to pass. In the case of a tie, the vice president may cast the tie-breaking vote.

How did senators vote on debt ceiling? ›

Senators voted 63-36 to pass the bill.

When did Congress start voting on the debt ceiling? ›

A statutorily imposed debt ceiling has been in effect since 1917 when the US Congress passed the Second Liberty Bond Act. Before 1917 there was no debt ceiling in force, but there were parliamentary procedural limitations on the amount of debt that could be issued by the government.

Is government shutting down 2024? ›

3/9/24 Update: President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a $460 billion package of spending bills approved by the Senate in time to avoid a shutdown of many key federal agencies. The legislation's success gets lawmakers about halfway home in wrapping up their appropriations work for the 2024 budget year.

Did the Senate approve the CR? ›

Washington, D.C. — This afternoon, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan Continuing Resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown in a 77-18 vote.

How to see how representatives voted? ›

To access votes using Congress.gov search for a bill and click on the "Actions" tab. All House and Senate roll call votes will be listed with links to the House and Senate's web pages. The Congressional Record is the official source of information on recorded floor votes.

What happens if a bill passed the House but not the Senate? ›

If either chamber does not pass the bill then it dies. If the House and Senate pass the same bill then it is sent to the President. If the House and Senate pass different bills they are sent to Conference Committee.

Can the Speaker of the House stop a bill from being voted on? ›

Under the doctrine, the speaker will not allow a floor vote on a bill unless a majority of the majority party supports the bill. Dennis Hastert explicitly adopted the majority of the majority rule after becoming Speaker of the House. Under House rules, the speaker schedules floor votes on pending legislation.

How much of Congress has to agree to pass a bill? ›

If the bill passes by simple majority (218 of 435), the bill moves to the Senate. In the Senate, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if released, debated and voted on. Again, a simple majority (51 of 100) passes the bill.

How many Democrats are in the Senate? ›

Party affiliation
AffiliationMembers
Republican Party49
Democratic Party48
Independent3
Total100

Does a bill go to the House or Senate first? ›

After a measure passes in the House, it goes to the Senate for consideration. This includes consideration by a Senate committee or subcommittee, similar to the path of a bill in the House. A bill must pass both bodies in the same form before it can be presented to the President for signature into law.

How long is a term for a US senator? ›

Senators are elected to six-year terms, and every two years the members of one class—approximately one-third of the senators—face election or reelection.

Who passed the debt ceiling? ›

Congress Passes and President Biden Signs into Law Debt Ceiling Agreement Capping Federal Spending Programs for Two Years.

Did the debt ceiling get settled? ›

President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday reached an agreement in principle to lift the debt limit for two years while cutting and capping some government spending over the same period, a breakthrough after a marathon set of crisis talks that has brought the nation within days of its first default in ...

Did the debt ceiling get reached? ›

On January 19, 2023, the United States hit its debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion. By this time, Republicans had taken control of the House during the 2022 midterm elections.

Did Congress approve the debt ceiling? ›

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation backed by President Joe Biden that lifts the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, averting what would have been a first-ever default.

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