Three of Long Island's four Republican House members voted for...

Three of Long Island's four Republican House members voted for the federal debt-limit bill, which passed Wednesday night and now goes to the Senate. Credit: AP/Jose Luis Magana

Washington — Three of Long Island’s four Republican congressmembers voted Wednesday evening to pass the debt limit bill negotiated by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden. as the House approved it and sent it to the Senate. 

The bill passed easily by a vote of 314 to 117 with the majority of both parties approving the legislation. 

The measure next goes to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) waited to start the clock running on its lengthy process so the Senate could vote to suspend the debt limit before the federal government runs out of money to pay its bills on June 5. 

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park), Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) and Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) voted to approve the bill to suspend the debt limit until 2025 and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, create $1.5 trillion in savings over a decade. 

Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau/Queens), the fourth Long Island delegation member, voted no on the bill. Earlier, Santos had declined to say how he would vote, calling it in a tweet “a difficult decision.”

On Twitter late Wednesday, Santos explained why he voted no on the bill.

"I don't want to look back in the future and bear the burden of stiffing the American people with the government drunk on overspending when I had the opportunity to stop it," Santos said during a Twitter Space event. "Not in a million years am I going to give a blank check to a government led by Joseph R. Biden as president and think this is a good thing."

Garbarino praised the legislation, dubbed the Fiscal Responsibility Act by Republicans.   

“This is a good government bill built through bipartisan compromise that is required of a divided government,” he said in a statement Wednesday. 

Garbarino said the bill would cut spending by $2.1 trillion over the next six years, return nondefense discretionary spending to fiscal year 2022 levels and rescind millions in unobligated COVID-19 funds while ensuring essential government functions like paying military troops and sending Social Security checks out on time. 

“This bill will also spur economic growth by getting Americans back to work and instituting permitting reforms so … we can produce more energy here at home, lower energy costs, and better compete with China and other advisories,” he said. 

D’Esposito and LaLota expressed their support for the legislation after McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Biden announced on Sunday they had reached a deal. 

“The Fiscal Responsibility Act is a good bipartisan deal that couples a much needed debt ceiling increase with long term reductions in government spending, all while safeguarding important federal programs like Social Security, Medicare, and veterans benefits,” D’Esposito said in a statement Wednesday.   

“This legislation cuts $2.1 trillion, the largest cut in American history. I applaud Speaker McCarthy for working across the aisle to get such important Republican priorities included in the debt ceiling deal even in the midst of divided government in Washington,” he said.   

LaLota on Monday issued a statement in support of the deal.   

“This bipartisan debt ceiling deal is a necessary first step to putting our great nation on a better course for our kids and grandkids,” LaLota said.“The fact that it will cut overall spending while protecting Social Security, Medicare, VA and Defense spending makes it worthy of bipartisan support.” 

On Wednesday afternoon, Republicans backing the McCarthy-Biden deal needed help from Democrats to pass a procedural rule to allow the final vote on the bill Wednesday evening. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) said earlier Wednesday that the Republicans had to pass their own rule, but he added “House Democrats are going to make sure the country doesn’t default. Period. Full stop.”   

Earlier Wednesday, the 189 Republicans voting for the rule fell short of the 218 votes needed to pass it — and 52 Democrats who had held back their votes cast them to ensure its passage. Voting no were 158 Democrats and 29 Republicans. 

All four Long Island Republicans voted aye. The overall New York delegation voted along party lines — Republicans for and Democrats against.   

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