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Senate Republicans have raised great doubts about House Republicans’ plans to raise debt ceilings, part of a massive tax cut and border spending bill, a dynamic that could lead to protracted negotiations with Democrats who avoid defaulting.
Houses are trying to raise it by $4 trillion in about two or three months before the U.S. breached debt ceilings, part of the partisan tax cut bill. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune repeatedly told his members that he didn't think it would win the 50 votes needed to clear the chamber, according to multiple sources familiar with the party meeting.
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala. R-ky. Senator Rand Paul recounted telling Republican leaders: “I will vote for tax cuts and make them permanent, and I don’t support raising the debt ceiling by $4 trillion.”
“There are often a lot of anxiety about using settlements to cover debt for a variety of reasons. I think it will be difficult to do,” said another Republican senator, speaking freely anonymously. “You have to rely solely on Republican votes and Republican votes. And there's so much bondage that I don't think reconciliation is a possible tool to raise the debt ceiling.”
They are now preparing to face a more tense deadline as Republicans try to end a messy campaign to simply fund the administration last Friday. It all comes with the stock market falling, economic uncertainty, and everyone is watching President Donald Trump’s tariff regime. Most lawmakers believe that the debt ceiling will need to be raised sometime around May or June.
The market is more concerned with debt ceiling than the government's funding deadline. Too close to the loophole can damage the country's credit rating. It was too late to try to avoid the entire battle when Trump tried to avoid the entire battle when he asked Congress to completely end the debt ceiling before becoming president last December.
Now, the two rooms are in a stalemate, trapped between two tough choices: negotiating with the Democrats and potentially giving them concessions to federal spending—or trying to be alone and having a bunch of Republicans who never voted for debt ceilings, and walking in the same time, potentially voting on Trump’s agenda is uncertain.
Speakers Mike Johnson and Trump have convinced House Republicans to support the budget to establish a $4 trillion debt ceiling. In fact, it will become more difficult to formulate it on the building.
“That's certainly what the president wants. Now, you know, we're dealing with the Senate,” R-Mo Rep. Ann Wagner said. “Now everything is on the table because we obviously have to deal with everything they can pass, and more importantly, everything we can pass.”
Some Republican senators and aides say that if there is nothing to do with Democrats, the budget settlement option could be a useful backup plan. However, it is worth noting that doing this through complex party procedures requires Congress to raise the debt ceiling to a specific number rather than suspending it for months or years. This makes conservatives even more suspicious.
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Some Republicans, such as Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), want to get rid of the debt ceiling altogether to avoid activity every few years. Some progressive Democrats can also accept it.
But R-Maine Senator Susan Collins often voted to raise the debt ceiling, which increased disagreement. “I don’t want to remove the debt ceiling,” she said.
There are a lot of creative ideas about how to deal with debt ceilings, some legislators see it as a crucial point of leverage, while others see it as an outdated headache. In 2021, Democrats and Republicans were exempted in one go to increase the debt ceiling. In 2023, House Republicans limit some spending to conditions for raising restrictions.
Senator Ron Johnson, a staunch fiscal conservative, told Semafor that he could lag behind the debt ceiling hike as part of the budget settlement. But he warned it would require $1.5 trillion cuts over the 10-year 10-year demand the home currently demands.
“What President Trump needs to do is he needs to take spending seriously. This house has to take spending seriously,” Johnson said. “Many of us never voted for an increase in debt ceiling, which is recorded in the record and if we have enough spending to reduce, we will.”
Democrats' views
Similarly, Democrats will be able to raise the debt ceiling while taxes, borders and spending cuts are being cut, so as to raise the debt ceiling in a short turnaround. When asked if he was looking forward to bipartisan negotiations this year, Rep. Jim Himms (D-Conn.) said: “I think it's very likely.”
“The more you cut them, the harder it is. With salt treatment, cutting into Medicaid, there are only a lot of mines they can easily trampled on, and the debt ceiling is one of them,” Himes said.
Burgess and Eleanor's perspective
We read a lot about the coverage you do, and the deadline for government closures is always considered the main fire drill. However, Congress reminds the cliff every few years that, despite the frequent economic impact, the debt ceiling crisis is clearly worse.
That's why many Senators and House members who have been talking to the past few months often see debt ceilings as a core challenge for Trump's second semester to lawmakers. Just as Senator John Kennedy (R-La.
Raising the debt ceiling doesn't get a lot of tons, but not doing so will weaken the economy – Trump's agenda. It's a huge struggle, and it's already played a role in the Republican-controlled Congress.
Space for divergence
Among House Republicans, support for the Stop Speed Spending Act, often hated by conservatives, has made some lawmakers optimistic about the prospect of dealing with the Republican debt ceiling.
“A lot of them will trust the will of the Trump administration and the ability to curb spending,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga of R-Mich. “This is the exact debate that is happening right now: people who have never voted for the CR said, ‘Well, I’m willing to do that because … what the president does.’”
R-Texas's housing budget chairman Jodey Arrington argued with Senate leaders that combining cuts in the House budget with an increase in debt ceilings makes the whole thing pass through the room. This reminds you that the narrow margins of the Senate must also be considered.
“People are willing to raise debt restrictions in accordance with fiscal reforms,” Arlington said. “That’s why I encourage them to take the framework; don’t mess up the natural balance in the universe because of any major changes to it.”
Notable
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Kennedy is a key figure in debt ceiling between the White House and CongressPer Politico.
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Congressional Budget Office will have a new X-Etate – Later this month, there will be a drop time when debt ceilings need to be raised.
