Senate Struggles to Pass Debt Ceiling Bill Amid Protests and Unclear Timing.

Senate Republican defense hawks are holding up legislation to raise the debt ceiling in protest of a 1-percent spending cut and to pressure Senate leaders to move a funding measure for the Ukraine war later this year. The debt limit bill would implement an across-the-board, 1-percent cut on discretionary spending if Congress fails to pass the annual spending bills by the end of the calendar year. Republican senators including Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton, and Dan Sullivan took to the Senate floor to vent their concerns about the defense spending caps in the bill.