— The
Senate could vote on the and limit government spending as soon as Thursday night, several members predicted, potentially sending the bill to President Biden's desk to avert a catastrophic default on the nation's debt. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed earlier Thursday to keep the upper chamber in session to pass the bill "as soon as possible," and had told members earlier this week that they should plan to stay in
Washington over the weekend for a possible vote. But it may not take that long, with senators eager to ditch Washington. "It could come together this afternoon," said
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. "The majority of them want to be done with this and go home."
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of
Virginia said he expects the process to "move very fast" once it's determined how many amendments will be offered. The Senate is under pressure to approve the legislation before Monday, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has the federal government will run out of cash to pay its bills. The House passed the legislation late Wednesday in a strong bipartisan vote. "We will keep working until the
Job is done," Schumer said Thursday on the Senate floor. "Time is a luxury the Senate does not have, if we want to prevent default." Schumer said "any needless delay" or "last-minute holdups" would be a "dangerous risk." Several senators are pushing for votes to amend various portions of the 99-page bill, known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. The approval of any amendments would require the House to pass the new version before sending it to the president for his signature. "Any change to this bill that forces us to send it back to the House would be entirely unacceptable. It would almost guarantee default," Schumer said. Kaine is seeking to strike a provision in the debt ceiling bill that fast-tracks construction of the to carry natural gas from West Virginia to Virginia. Paul is offering an amendment with more dramatic spending cuts. GOP Sen. Mike Lee of
Utah wants to remove a portion of the bill that allows the Office of Management and Budget to waive some restrictions on spending if doing so is needed "for the delivery of essential services." Asked Wednesday about timing, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he hopes the holdouts agree to proceed with a final vote before the weekend if their amendments are given a vote. "What I hope happens is that those who have amendments, if given votes, will yield back time so that we can finish this Thursday or Friday and soothe the country and soothe the markets," McConnell said. McConnell said Thursday afternoon that they are "headed to the finish line." The White House's legislative affairs team has been in touch with every Senate Democratic office ahead of the vote, a
White House official said Thursday. Outreach to senators continued throughout the day, with senior staff calling senators individually. Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital. Reach her at . Follow her on Twitter: