Push comes as fiscal deadlines loom later this year for a gridlocked Congress and Democrats at war with Trump
By Damian Paletta and Erica Werner April 25 at 3:20 PM Top White House officials are imploring key Republicans to move quickly and raise the debt ceiling, four people briefed on the discussions said, concerned that a prolonged impasse could raise the chances of a misstep that damages the economy later this year.
But the effort appears to be getting little traction so far, in part because some Democrats are insisting that any debt ceiling deal come as part of a package of changes that raises spending levels after October. The White House has sent mixed signals as to whether it would support raising spending caps, and Democrats have asked for firm commitments before they will proceed.
The White House’s new pleas come amid a backdrop of increasing acrimony between the White House and Democrats, with some lawmakers openly calling for Trump’s impeachment. Some White House officials are worried that issues like the debt ceiling could become tangled up in other political brawls and get derailed.
Congress suspended the debt ceiling in February 2018, but that move expired in March. The Treasury Department is now delaying certain payments and taking other steps to avoid defaulting on the government’s debt, but they are expected to run out of wiggle room in September or October. If there is not an agreement to lift the spending caps by December, the federal budget for defense and nondefense programs would be reduced by roughly $125 billion next year. White House officials, including acting budget director Russell Vought, have said they want to adhere to spending caps to control government spending, but White House officials have privately signaled to lawmakers that they would be willing to lift the caps somewhat to cut a deal.
The House Democratic majority is also contending with division in its own ranks between liberals who want more domestic and less military spending, and fiscal hawks concerned with high spending levels in general. Those divisions forced House leaders to cancel a planned vote earlier this month on a two-year spending plan, and could complicate Democrats’ efforts to pass other spending bills or deals through the House going forward.
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