On Aug. 2, 2011, the Senate passed a $2.1 trillion budget package capping months of grueling partisan wrangling that brought the nation to the brink of a historic default on its obligations. The vote came just hours before the Treasury Department had warned the U.S. would default on its debt. The House passed the package the day before.
CQ Roll Call photojournalists documented the wheeling and dealing during the summer of 2011 and showcase them here as current debt limit negotiations continue.
