Debt ceiling bill passes in the House, advances to the Senate days ahead of default deadline

WASHINGTON — A bill to raise the debt limit and cap government spending passed in the House by a wide margin late Wednesday, sending the bill to the Senate just days before Monday's U.S. default deadline. It was a dramatic conclusion to weeks of tense negotiations between the White House and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The reaction from the White House was measured. Biden thanked McCarthy for "negotiating in good faith," and he urged the Senate to pass the bill quickly. The fact that McCarthy's bill passed with 165 Democratic votes, yet only 149 from Republicans, came as a surprise to many.