A last-minute debt and deficit package easily passed the House of Representatives Monday night, but was roundly thrashed by the right and left.

The measure, which is expected to clear the Senate on Tuesday, includes $3 trillion in budget cuts and a two-step, $2.4 trillion increase in the national debt ceiling.

The deal was demanded by administration officials and business groups that said upping the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling was essential to averting a government default by midnight Tuesday.

When asked if a credit rating downgrade is likely anyway, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told reporters, “I don’t know. It’s hard to tell. I think this is a good result but a terrible process,” he said. “And again, again, as the world watched Congress step up to the edge of the abyss it made them really wonder whether this place can work.” 

Most of Florida's House delegation sided with the majority, but few sounded enthusiastic about their vote.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, D-Fort Lauderdale, was the most upbeat, declaring early Monday that Democrats "won" the day with bipartisan compromise.

"Democrats protected Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security," said Wasserman-Schultz, who also heads the Democratic National Committee.

On the other hand, Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Tallahassee, voted against the measure, saying, “I believe that any serious plan for spending reform must begin with guaranteed congressional approval of a balanced budget amendment and spending cuts large enough to eliminate the threat of a crippling downgrade in America’s credit rating. This compromise ensures neither.

"I was hopeful that I’d have the opportunity to support an aggressive, long-term spending solution. Regretfully, however, I recognized that this agreement falls short of addressing our historic economic challenges and does not alleviate the threat of a crippling downgrade in America’s credit rating."

Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, also voted against the measure and issued this statement afterward:

"Regardless of its enactment, the U.S. will still be at serious risk of losing its AAA credit rating. To date, the only plan introduced that passes muster for the credit rating agencies is the 'cut, cap and balance' legislation which passed the House with bipartisan support last week and is purposefully being blocked in the Senate."

Posey said a balanced-budget amendment is needed "to ensure that Washington's addiction to spending is broken."

“This bill grows the debt to $16.7 trillion without implementing a long-term plan to control spending," he added.

Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, voted for the debt package, but acknowledged that it "isn’t my first choice."

Nevertheless, Rooney said, “This vote sends a message to the American people that while we still have significant work left to do, we heard their demands in November to cut spending and get government under control.

"President Obama and congressional Democrats began this debate by requesting a so-called clean increase in the debt limit -- basically, a blank check to continue their spending binge. We successfully changed the debate from, ‘How much can we spend?’ to 'How much can we save?’'"

Stiff opposition by tea party-backed congressmen like Southerland elicited sharp attacks from Democratic partisans.

Vice President Joe Biden, speaking to a party caucus earlier Monday, was quoted as saying he agreed that tea party Republicans "were acting like terrorists."

Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, said after the vote:

"I share my constituents’ dismay over the tea party’s willingness to use the threat of economic catastrophe to ram through Congress a plan to destroy Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Today’s compromise blocked their efforts by protecting the hard-earned benefits of the American people."