Democrats Add Debt Limit to Spending Measure, Sparking Showdown With GOP

House is expected to vote on the combined measure this week to prevent both a partial government shutdown and a potential default on U.S. debt

Democratic leaders said Monday they would attach a suspension of the debt limit through December 2022 to a short-term spending bill, setting up a clash with Republicans over preventing both a partial government shutdown and a potential default on U.S. debt.

The House is expected to vote on the combined measure this week, but GOP opposition in the Senate cast uncertainty over how and when lawmakers will act to prevent the federal government from running out of cash. Many Republicans said Monday they wouldn’t supply any votes for an effort to raise the government’s borrowing limit in protest to Democrats’ plans to move trillions of dollars in new spending through Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said in a joint statement Monday that suspending the debt limit through December 2022

More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):