President Biden said Wednesday that he believes that things are going according to plan so far for the House to pass the bipartisan debt ceiling package despite several Democrats and Republicans vowing to vote in opposition of the measure.
“We’re going to deal with the debt ceiling,” the president told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think things are going as planned, God willing.”
Biden said he is hopeful that by the time he lands in Colorado later Wednesday evening ahead of a planned address to the U.S. Air Force Academy, the bill will have passed the House. The vote on final passage is scheduled for roughly 8:30 p.m.
“I’ll be landing in Colorado tonight in preparation for my commencement speech at the Air Force Academy tomorrow. And, God willing, by the time I land, Congress will have acted — the House will have acted — and we’ll be one step closer,” the president said.
His comments come as Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is dealing with conservative opponents of the package, which has to pass before June 5 to avoid the first-ever government default.
And, House Democratic leaders, who are dealing with far-left opposition to the bill, are warning that it will be up to Republicans to pass the rule governing the debt ceiling increase just hours before the rule vote is scheduled Wednesday.
The timing of the final vote could change if McCarthy struggles to pass the rule in the first round. McCarthy can only lose five Republicans and still pass the rule if Democrats keep up with their vow to withhold votes on the rule initially and then switch their votes for final passage.
Biden spoke to reporters during a meeting about the hurricane season outlook and the ongoing wildfire season. He joked that he knew the press wouldn’t ask about those topics when he received shouted questions about the debt ceiling agreement instead.
Source: The Hill
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