by Dave Williams | Jun 2, 2023 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Both of Georgia’s U.S. senators put aside their concerns over how the debt limit agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would affect spending on federal programs to vote for the deal.
Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock joined 61 of their colleagues from both sides of the aisle Thursday night to give the legislation final passage. Thirty-six senators opposed the agreement, including five Democrats.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill on Wednesday, with Georgia’s House delegation voting 10-4 in favor of the deal. Six of the Peach State’s nine House Republicans supported the legislation, as did four of the five Democrats.
The legislation will raise the nation’s debt limit for the next two years in exchange for spending caps pushed by congressional Republicans. GOP lawmakers who voted against the bill argued the spending cuts didn’t go far enough, while Democratic opponents maintained the reductions were too steep.
“Today, the Congress acted to prevent a catastrophic default, which would have plunged the U.S. and global economies into recession and severely damaged families and businesses in Georgia, across the country, and around the world,” Ossoff said after Thursday night’s vote.
“It’s shameful that partisan actors and their political brinksmanship needlessly pushed us toward a potential default in the first place, using poor people as pawns,” Warnock added. “I’m glad that cooler heads prevailed and crafted a bipartisan bill that will allow us to pay our bills and avoid a default, while also preserving important investments that help hardworking Georgia families and keep our economy strong.”
Congressional passage of the debt limit deal heads off a June 5 deadline for the nation to start making good on its debts or go into default for the first time in U.S. history.
