Young Votes Yes, Braun No On Debt Ceiling Bill

WASHINGTON — The bill to raise the debt ceiling along with some modest spending cuts is now on the desk of President Biden.

The bill was approved without any amendments by a 63-36 vote in the U.S. Senate on Thursday. Just like the House, there was both bipartisan support and opposition to it. Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana made it clear from the get-go that he was a no-vote, and he stuck to that.

“Here we just have to be smart enough not to spend more than what we take in,” he said before the vote. “Sadly, all the data is there historically, we haven’t balanced a budget since the late 90s.”

He along with several other senators proposed different amendments that were voted down. His would have had incremental spending cuts for every week Congress does not address the debt ceiling in the event of another close deadline like what they have been dealing with in the last month.

Indiana’s other senator, Todd Young, voted in favor of the measure.

“It ensures that the United States will not default on our debt obligations,” Young said in a statement after the vote. “This bill does not go as far as I and others would like. This bill is a compromise that should be just an initial step toward addressing our nation’s fiscal challenges.”

President Biden will address the nation this evening after signing the measure into law.