House members from Colorado – save two – backed a sweeping measure to suspend America’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling for two years, the first step in heading off a default that economists said would send the country into a fiscal tailspin. 

The U.S. Senate still needs to pass the measure.

Voting 314-117, lawmakers easily passed the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” following a massive whip operation by both parties, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York delivering House Speaker Kevin McCarthy the support to get the bill across the finish line. 

Conservatives and even some McCarthy loyalists joined with progressives in opposing the deal.

Among them was U.S. Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado.

“Back in 2022, the American people gave Republicans the majority in the U.S House of Representatives because they wanted us to rein in the Democrats’ out-of-control spending,” Buck said in a statement. “Yet, Speaker McCarthy chose to negotiate a deal that codifies the post-COVID 2022 discretionary spending baseline, adds $4 trillion to the debt in less than two years, upholds Biden’s student loan bailout, funds 85,000 new IRS agents, and ensures Democrats don’t have to deal with the political fallout of raising the debt ceiling prior to the 2024 election.”

He added: “I can’t imagine a better deal for Democrats or a worse deal for our nation.”

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert didn’t register a vote, while the rest of Colorado’s congressional delegation – Doug Lamborn, Yadira Caraveo, Jason Crow, Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen – supported the measure. 

Some of Colorado’s Democratic delegates blamed Republicans for what they described as brinkmanship.

“They held our entire economy hostage in an effort to advance their extreme partisan agenda and the fact that they were so willing to put hardworking Americans at risk, like they did, should outrage everyone,” DeGette said in a news release.  

Pettersen echoed that sentiment. 

Cami Mondeaux of the Washington Examiner contributed to this report.