Trump calls for eliminating debt ceiling amid chaos before potential government shutdown

WASHINGTON ― President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said Congress should eliminate the debt ceiling, putting his support behind an idea popular among some Democrats after the incoming president torpedoed a bipartisan deal hours earlier to fund the government before a looming shutdown heading into the end-of-year holidays.

Trump told NBC News in a phone interview that getting rid of the debt ceiling would be the "smartest thing it (Congress) could do," adding, "I would support that entirely.”

The debt ceiling, which caps the amount the federal government can borrow, had previously not been on the table during negotiations over a stopgap spending bill before Friday's midnight deadline to keep large parts of the U.S. government open.

“The Democrats have said they want to get rid of it. If they want to get rid of it, I would lead the charge,” Trump told NBC, calling the debt ceiling a "meaningless" concept. “It doesn’t mean anything, except psychologically,” Trump said.

Trump took his position on the debt ceiling a step further in remarks to ABC News, essentially setting an ultimatum on the matter. "There won't be anything approved unless the debt ceiling is done with," Trump said.

More: Will there be a government shutdown? Live updates on the latest from Congress

The debt ceiling was last raised in June 2023, with Congress suspending it until Jan. 2, 2025, to avoid a catastrophic default on the nation’s debt. It followed weeks of bruising negotiations between President Joe Biden and then House-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was later ousted from his speakership amid criticism from fellow Republicans for concessions he made.

The Treasury Department can take what are known as “extraordinary measures” to delay a binding debit limit and give Congress more time to address it.

A bipartisan deal reached earlier this week between House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democrats to fund the government through mid-March crumbled Wednesday after Trump came out against it and tech billionaire Elon Musk spent the day slamming the legislation on social media.

Republicans have balked at various add-ons in the 1,500-page bill, which includes pay increases for members of Congress, $100 billion in emergency relief and $21 billion for farmers who have experienced crop or livestock issues.

Before Trump's latest remarks about eliminating the debt ceiling, he had initially called for Republicans to pass a spending bill without "Democrat giveaways," combined with increasing the debt ceiling while Biden is still in the White House.

More: Trump vows to fire federal workers who won't return to office. What it could mean in Nevada

In a post Wednesday night on Truth Social, Trump said any Republican lawmaker who supports a continuing resolution without raising the debt ceiling will be "primaried." Trump said "the mess of the Debt Limit" should be addressed during Biden's remaining weeks in office and not brought into the Trump presidency.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y, said that any discussion on the debt ceiling is “premature at best.” Democrats have called for Republicans to stick with the bipartisan funding agreement they reached earlier.

But at least one House Democrat quickly rallied behind Trump's idea to get rid of the debt ceiling altogether.

"For years I have urged my colleagues for years to permanently eliminate the debt ceiling, which has never reduced our national debt," Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said in a post on X, pointing to legislation he's previously co-sponsored to achieve that objective. "Let’s abolish the debt limit for good."

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump calls to eliminate debt ceiling, pledges to lead charge