The vote late Wednesday evening finalized a tactical win for Kevin McCarthy and Republicans on spending – and a humiliating retreat by Joe Biden. The president spent 97 days refusing to negotiate any deal to raise the debt ceiling and tried to bluff McCarthy with a game of chicken over a technical default. McCarthy's success in passing a debt-ceiling increase with substantial cuts—and no tax increases—forced Democrats to negotiate on McCarthy's terms and agree to cut hundreds of billions from planned spending.

Are there reasons to criticize this debt-ceiling deal? Yes, but this a debt-ceiling negotiation on budget items already passed by Congress. It was not a budget negotiation; but it does set the stage for that next budget negotiation—and on terms more friendly to conservatives. McCarthy's ability to pass the first bill demonstrates that the Speaker and the House majority are forces to be reckoned with.

Clearly, more is needed. But in order to achieve that, Republicans have to win more elections.

It was a tactical win.