Trump Calls for Scrapping Debt Limit

President Trump on Wednesday called for Congress to eliminate the debt limit so neither party can continue to use it as a political weapon.

“Let’s get together, Republican and Democrat, and DO THIS!” he posted on social media.

The debt limit dictates the amount of money the government is authorized to borrow to pay for spending obligations Congress has approved or will approve.

Because lawmakers in both parties continue to approve more federal spending, the debt limit routinely needs raised, with the next deadline approaching in August.

House Republicans included a $4 trillion debt limit increase in the “big, beautiful bill” they passed last month. The Senate is currently tweaking the measure, which also features sweeping tax and spending cuts, energy policy changes, and defense and border security funding.

Mr. Trump, in a social media post Wednesday, said he would prefer to instead eliminate the debt limit. There is bipartisan support for doing so, with the president citing a post from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, saying she and Mr. Trump agree on that.

“The debt limit should be scrapped to prevent an economic catastrophe. Let’s pass a bipartisan bill and get rid of it forever,” Ms. Warren posted on X. “But jacking up the debt limit by $4 trillion to fund more tax breaks for billionaires is an outrage.”

Mr. Trump posted that he was “pleased to announce” that he agrees with Ms. Warren on something after years of disagreement.

Ms. Warren said she has not had any recent conversations with Republican lawmakers about eliminating the debt limit but she hopes the president’s endorsement could spur a bipartisan collaboration.

“I figure if Trump’s in favor, there ought to be a whole team ready to back him up on that,” she said.

Other Democrats were more skeptical about Mr. Trump’s intentions.

Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said the president’s “massive tax giveaways to the billionaires and corporate tax breaks to large profitable corporations” will run up the national debt.

“Obviously he wants to obfuscate that by not having to raise the debt limit,” he told The Washington Times. “This is just the scheme to try to avoid taking responsibility.”

Republicans, who have long used the debt limit as a tool for negotiating spending cuts, were not quick to embrace Mr. Trump’s call to eliminate the debt limit.

“I personally don’t want to get rid of the debt limit,” said Sen. Rick Scott, Florida Republican. “I want to use it as leverage to balance the budget.”

Sen. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota Republican, was skeptical there would be enough GOP support for eliminating the debt limit, although he was open to a conversation about it.

“The majority of Republicans appreciate the opportunity to be able to look at our debt and deficit every few months or years,” Mr. Cramer said, counting himself among the lawmakers who like to “look at what the drivers of our debt are before we decide on how much more to borrow.”

Mr. Trump received some pushback from Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the debt limit, when he reiterated his desire to repeal it during a meeting with them at the White House on Wednesday.

“He realized that’s not going to happen,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican. “He certainly wants [the debt limit] extended beyond the next election.”

Sen. Todd Young of Indiana said “there’s still some principled disagreement” among Republicans about the utility of the debt ceiling, with some wanting to keep it as leverage for negotiating deals to cut spending.

“I’m open to his view,” he said of the president’s desire to eliminate the debt limit. “Frankly, I can see both sides of that issue.”