Washington: The US Senate passed a federal spending and debt limit bill, paving the way for the United States to avert a default on its debt obligations.
The Senate passed the legislation in a 63-to-36 vote on Thursday night, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
The debt ceiling deal was negotiated by Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over the last several weeks. It raises the US debt ceiling for two years in exchange for limited fiscal reforms, such as reclaiming unspent COVID recovery funds and rescinding some Internal Revenue Service funding.
The House of Representatives passed the bill on Wednesday night with a 314-117 vote.
The United States risked defaulting on its financial obligations as soon as June 5 if Congress failed to pass legislation to raise the debt ceiling, according to the Treasury Department.