The debt ceiling does not allow for unlimited government spending, it just provides a way for financing the money you’ve already spent. If you want to cut spending, then you need to cut appropriations.
I mean, really - you pass a $1.7 trillion spending bill, and taxes are not enough to cover it. What are you going to do? Not pay? You shouldn’t have passed the bill in the first place if you don’t want to spend the money.
You cut back on stuff. You haven’t spent the money yet. Now times are hard. So, you cut back. It’s really a simple concept. You establish a priority of payments: Bonds, SS & Medicare, etc. The least important stuff gets cut. How much more simple can it be?