Who voted against the debt ceiling bill in the Senate? These 36 lawmakers opposed it

Rachel Looker, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON −The debt ceiling deal is on its way to President Joe Biden's desk after the legislation passed in the Senate Thursday night. That means the nation is one step closer to dodging a default.

Sixty-three senators backed the bill, but four Democrats and 31 Republicans said they couldn't support it, as well as independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. All 11 amendments introduced on the Senate floor Thursday failed to pass.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., did not vote Thursday evening after flying home to attend his son’s high school graduation ceremony, according to his spokesperson.

Republican senators demanded more defense spending, calling the allocated funds in the deal inadequate. The legislation caps defense spending in 2024 at $886 billion and $895 billion in fiscal year 2025.

One Democrat, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, introduced an amendment that would have removed a provision from the bill approving the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a natural gas pipeline project in West Virginia that would cut through parts of his state. Kaine criticized the White House for not informing lawmakers that the provision was included in debt limit negotiations. The amendment failed to pass.

Here's a list of the senators who opposed the bill:

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36 senators oppose debt ceiling legislation

US Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC, speaks during the Vision 2024 National Conservative Forum at the Charleston Area Convention Center in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 18, 2023.
US Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC, speaks during the Vision 2024 National Conservative Forum at the Charleston Area Convention Center in Charleston, South Carolina, on March 18, 2023.

Republicans:

  • Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming

  • Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee

  • Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana

  • Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama

  • Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina

  • Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana

  • Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas

  • Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho

  • Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas

  • Sen. Steve Daines of Montana

  • Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska

  • Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina

  • Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri

  • Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi

  • Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin

  • Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana

  • Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma

  • Sen. Mike Lee of Utah

  • Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming

  • Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas

  • Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky

  • Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska

  • Sen. James Risch of Idaho

  • Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida

  • Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri

  • Sen. Rick Scott of Florida

  • Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina

  • Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska

  • Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama

  • Sen. JD Vance of Ohio

  • Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi

Democrats:

  • Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania

  • Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

  • Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts

  • Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon

Independents:

  • Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Here are the 36 senators who voted against the debt ceiling deal

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