Why it matters: The bill will almost certainly require substantial support from members in both parties to pass and avert a potentially catastrophic default on U.S. debt by June 5.
- The deal announced Saturday night marked a huge breakthrough after months of brinkmanship — but party leaders still have to sell the bill to skeptical members and the public.
- “Everyone’s trying to thread the needle to get to 218,” said one House Democrat. “Either side bragging too much about their wins scares people and costs votes.”
Zoom in: The two parties might as well be in other worlds when it comes to characterizing details of the deal.
- Even where there’s agreement, the spin can be vertigo-inducing: The GOP boasts that the deal “restart[s] student loan repayments,” but the White House contextualizes that it simply “codifies an end to the pause — which the administration had planned to end on September 1.”