As he balances lofty promises with slim Republican congressional majorities, members of President Donald Trump’s own party may make it more difficult for him to avoid a stalemate on raising the country’s borrowing cap. This would hinder Trump’s legislative objectives in general.
An examination of roll call votes and data from the Congressional Research Service shows that 49 House Republicans and 12 GOP senators, or more than 20% of each conference, have never voted in favor of a bill extending the debt ceiling.
This group indicates that a significant portion of Republicans may be more reluctant to support hikes that could actually take effect, even though many GOP lawmakers have backed debt ceiling increases as part of messaging votes that were doomed to fail.
This implies that increasing the debt limit, which is a top priority for Trump, could not be as easy as just tying the increase into the one big, gorgeous package that he wants to use to further his second-term agenda, as that is unlikely to garner much support from Democrats.
Instead of focusing on a larger GOP package, those internal GOP divides seem to have fueled some debates about tying a debt ceiling rise to disaster aid for California in the wake of the recent terrible wildfires. One of the things we’re talking about, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday, is connecting a debt limit rise to California funding.
Republicans have pushed for further expenditure cutbacks in recent years by using the debt ceiling as a negotiation tactic. A national default could occur if the debt ceiling is not extended, which establishes the amount beyond which the Treasury Department can no longer borrow funds to pay the nation’s liabilities.
When it comes to debt ceiling talks, Trump is accustomed to seeing resistance from his own party, and he is not eager to bring up the subject again when he returns to the White House. During Trump’s first term, Congress passed three votes to suspend the debt ceiling as part of larger spending legislation, and the Republican Party strongly opposed each of the three measures.
Trump made a disastrous attempt last month to persuade Republicans to raise the debt ceiling as part of a year-end government spending bill in an attempt to avert another impasse over the issue before he started office. Some budget hawks disagree with his call to completely eliminate the debt ceiling.
Don’t throw it away. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., stated that it is the only leverage we have and that he would be amenable to negotiating a higher debt ceiling if it were accompanied by more extensive budget cuts.
Among the legislators who have never supported legislation that increased the debt ceiling is Johnson.
In a quick Capitol interview, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, another Republican, responded negatively when asked if he would be amenable to lifting the debt ceiling.
There ought to be reductions if we examine the debt ceiling. “It’s that easy,” Roy stated. If you haven’t organized your finances, you shouldn’t take on extra debt.
Roy pointed out that he and his fellow conservative House Freedom Caucus members recently published a proposal stating that if congressional leaders agreed to make dollar-for-dollar savings over a ten-year period, they could accept a two-year debt limit rise.
The president always says, “Let’s get the agenda done,” when he speaks. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a former chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told reporters Wednesday that’s kind of where I am. However, I also don’t want to leave us with a national debt problem that is worse than it is now. Therefore, I’d like to see us cut back on spending.
Biggs pointed out that he and Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., are the only GOP conference members who have never backed any debt ceiling-raising legislation, not even a message bill that was unlikely to pass.
In another indication that Trump continues to encounter resistance inside his own party, Biggs was one of 38 House Republicans who voted against a government funding measure supported by Trump in December that would have raised the debt ceiling until January 30, 2027.
Biggs acknowledged that some Republicans would probably object to tying a debt ceiling hike or suspension to a disaster aid package for California, demonstrating the continued internal divides among lawmakers as they search for a solution on the debt ceiling.
According to Biggs, if the leadership chooses to tie it to disaster funds, it’s because they feel at ease with Democratic support.
In reference to the instrument Republicans are seeking to employ to further Trump’s top legislative priorities, Biggs continued, “If they want to actually try bending the spending arc down, then they’ll put in the reconciliation package.” This would allow the measure to pass with Republican votes alone, avoiding a procedural obstacle in the Senate.
several senators who have opposed previous debt ceiling increases may be amenable to Trump’s idea to do away with the debt ceiling, despite the fact that several Republicans are objecting to it.
In a recent interview with NBC News, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., stated that he has not backed previous debt ceiling rises because they included spending that he disapproved of. Hawley noted that Trump brought up the topic during a meeting with Republican senators earlier this month and remarked that, in the right situation, eliminating the debt ceiling is an intriguing notion.
According to Hawley, it’s frequently utilized as a political football. I don’t know if I’ve witnessed it achieve much.