GOP ponders how to raise the debt ceiling despite dozens of members who've always held out
Members of President Donald Trump’s own party could complicate his effort to avoid a standoff over extending the nation’s borrowing limit — which means a complication for Trump’s legislative plans overall as he manages big promises and small Republican congressional majorities.
Members of President Donald Trump’s own party could complicate his effort to avoid a standoff over extending the nation’s borrowing limit — which means a complication for Trump’s legislative plans overall as he manages big promises and small Republican congressional majorities.
A dozen GOP senators and 49 House Republicans — more than 20% of each conference — have never previously voted for a law raising the debt ceiling, according to an analysis of roll call votes and data from the Congressional Research Service.
While many GOP lawmakers have supported debt ceiling increases as part of messaging votes that were destined to fail, this group suggests there is a sizable number of Republicans who may be more hesitant to support increases that could actually take effect.
That means raising the debt limit, a must-do for Trump, may not be as simple as just packaging an increase with the “one big, beautiful bill” that Trump wants to use as the main vehicle for his second-term agenda, since that is unlikely to attract much in the way of Democratic support.
Those internal divisions in the GOP appear to have driven some discussions about attaching a debt limit increase to disaster assistance for California following the recent devastating wildfires, rather than a broader GOP package. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that attaching a debt limit increase to California aid is “one of the things we’re talking about.”
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