Posted on 01/27/2025 3:44:25 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
DORAL, Fla. — Democrats in Congress are considering forcing a showdown over the debt limit to rein in President Donald Trump’s vast plans to reshape the U.S. economy and remake the federal government.
For 30 years, Republicans have used the threat of a national default to make Democrats negotiate over GOP demands. But as America hurtles once again toward a potential debt crisis, Democrats see an opportunity to turn the tables to cut off Trump’s agenda and take the debt limit off the table in future legislative battles.
Last week, the national debt hit the legal limit of $31.4 trillion. (The debt limit does not directly cut spending, but it bars the country from borrowing more money to pay for spending Congress has already approved.) Unless Congress acts to lift or suspend the cap, Trump’s Treasury Department will be forced to stop borrowing sometime this spring. That could trigger a calamitous default, probably tanking the U.S. economy and causing a global crisis.
Republicans control both chambers of Congress as well as the White House and could lift the debt limit on their own. But internal divisions over spending block that path. As the House GOP huddles this week at Trump’s golf resort in Doral to try to resolve their differences, Republican leaders recognize they are likely to need Democratic votes to raise the debt limit — and Democrats know it.
“It’s inevitable that they’re going to need us,” Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Massachusetts) told The Washington Post.
The question for Democrats is what they want in exchange.
It’s a stark role reversal in Washington. Republicans have been weaponizing the debt limit since at least 1995, when House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) threatened to let the government default unless President Bill Clinton gave in to his budget demands...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
it won’t work
Can Trump make targeted cuts?
Then I guess we’ll have to cut spending to balance the budget.
C’est la guerre!
To flip the script like this means they are desperate.
No, it won’t work.
More winning!
Let it work. Just say OK fellas, no debt increase so we have to cut spending IMMEDIATELY. Education Dept., EPA, FEMA, Legal Services corporation, all must be abolished immediately —and that is just a start. Reduce all federal agencies employment by 20% immediately, sell off federal lands—and you’re just getting started....Like them apples Demonrats?
This was always going to be true.
The deficit is $2T. $1T of that is interest on the debt.
It’s popular to swagger and say okay we’ll just cut spending so there is no further increase in the debt and achieve total victory over the Dems. But no one ever specifies numbers of the 5T spending (we can’t touch the 1T interest) that they can eradicate (2T of it, 40%) and achieve 0 deficit.
What will happen is the Democrat will win on this, the Freedom Caucus will celebrate that they got $5B cut out of the $5T and punch their air at their victory, whilst spending $4.995T Plus 3% increase for inflation.
Oh! NOW they want to control the debt.
What timing!
Take the money from npr and dei garbage. There’ll be plenty when Musk gets thru.
What a tremendous opportunity to cut the “progressives’” pet program down to zero!
I didn’t go behind the paywall but in the first paragraphs I didn’t see mention of the fearful term “shutting down the government.”
Isn’t that what the democrats have in mind: “shutting down the government?”
I am scared half to death.
I agree it won’t work.
Remember how Obama closed parks and tried everything to sway public opinion against the Republicans?
This chess game is where Trump shines. He knows exactly where to cut money flow to make the Democrat metro areas hurt the most.
While he is cutting costs, maybe he should defund congress, or at least their staff. Put the squeeze on them.
If Trump shows the public that there is no money to pay Social Security checks, things will change very fast. Yes, Social Security is a separate fund, but all the reserves have been lent to the general fund and spent.
Use the money shortage as an excuse to terminate federal employees. Close whole departments.
Trump can use the Democrat foot dragging as an excuse to implement DOGE. Make it a win win by blaming the Dem’s for Trump having to do what he wants you do.
😁
Trump wants to take an axe to the wasteful federal government. Shutting it down only helps him do it. If/when the shutdown is resolved all those Democrat federal workers will not be getting back pay for sitting on their asses like they usually do. If they blame Trump, well they didn’t vote for him anyway so no loss, but if they blame the Democrats for being stupid guess what. It is still a win for Trump.
I have exactly zero confidence in the Republican congress.
But silly stuff will not get past a POTUS veto.
He has the balls to take the heat, and turn the tables.
More insurrection from the turd rolling lefties.
That’s cute. Democrats are threatening to not fund the government. Oh please, stop, don’t do that. Lol
Medicare, DoD, SSI, Medicaid and interest on the debt are the largest expenditures. Unless the first four are cut, the rest is peanuts.
Sorry, at some point Trump very may well have some problems. He’s made a lot of promises to a lot of people and some of those promises are at odds with different groups and with each other. I get the Laffer curve and all but it’s going to be tough to lower taxes and reduce the debt. The Marxists don’t care about the country - only their power.
Does US feral government spending have ANYTHING to do with the amount of tax revenue collected?
Sorry, at some point Trump very may well have some problems. He’s made a lot of promises to a lot of people and some of those promises are at odds with different groups and with each other.
yes, expect it and roll with the punches.
don’t bitch because your lollipop is delayed or the wrong flavor.
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