Trump's demand to abolish debt ceiling hits a brick wall
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Donald Trump speaks at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Dec. 16, 2024. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.
Donald Trump's idea of abolishing the debt limit is foundering on Capitol Hill as Democrats line up against it and Republicans uncomfortably try to shoot it down without angering the president-elect.
Why it matters: With Trump digging in on the likely unworkable stipulation as part of government spending negotiations, the once-faint prospect of a holiday government shutdown is seeming more and more realistic.
- The demand comes after Trump torpedoed a bipartisan deal House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) negotiated to fund the government until March.
State of play: Democrats would be Trump's most likely partners in eliminating the debt ceiling — an idea that has long been palatable in Democratic circles.
- But while a handful of Democrats have endorsed his approach, the party's official line is that anything but their deal with Johnson is a non-starter.
- Many lawmakers are also seizing on Trump policy plans that would raise the deficit — particularly his proposed tax cuts — to justify their opposition.
What they're saying: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) set the tone Thursday with a social media post saying "hard pass" on even raising the debt ceiling, let alone eliminating it.
- "In order to give massive endless tax cuts to Elon Musk and other billionaire oligarchs? I don't know – there might be some wariness to that," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said of scrapping the debt limit.
- Some Democrats even acknowledged their long-standing support for getting rid of the statutory limit, but said this case is an exception.
- Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) told Axios: "There's other things we have to weigh now. Am I for eliminating the debt ceiling? Yes, I was for that two years ago, but we have to look at what's in front of us right now as well."
The other side: Many Republicans, by contrast, tried to embrace their party's tendency to oppose even raising the debt ceiling without placing themselves in direct public opposition to Trump.
- "That discussion will occur, but I don't know if it's going to happen," House Freedom Caucus chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) said of raising the debt ceiling.
- Similarly, Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) told Axios of eliminating the debt ceiling: "I don't think that's going to happen. I don't see that as happening."
Zoom in: A handful of Republicans did show a willingness to forcefully reject the idea.
- "There are proposals to raise it, there are proposals to eliminate it. I won't vote for that," said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who said there are "at least 20 to 30 Republicans who are not for raising the debt ceiling or eliminating it."
- Paul called the debt ceiling an "important vote" because there "has to be some kind of punishment" for not cracking down on the national debt.
- Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), who lost reelection to a Trump-backed primary rival, is also openly opposed to the idea.
Yes, but: Some Republicans also expressed surprising openness to Trump's demand.
- "Overall, we need change. This isn't working. And I don't know that's the idea I would embrace, but I do have some ideas myself," said Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah), a senator-elect.
- Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters the debt limit "hasn't been very effective in constraining the debt, has it? So, I'm open to a discussion."
Zoom in: Johnson spent Thursday huddled in his office with various groups of GOP lawmakers trying to work out a last-minute solution before government funding runs out Friday.
- But Trump's abrupt opposition to the deal Johnson struck and his intransigence on the debt ceiling is making that a tall order.
Axios' Stef Kight and Erin Doherty contributed reporting for this story.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to state that Rand Paul is a senator (not a representative).
