As the U.S. Congress scrambled to come up with a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump shocked many lawmakers by demanding that any such bill must also increase the country’s debt ceiling.
He insisted that any deal must include that provision for the debt ceiling, the legislative limit on the amount of national debt the country can incur. It’s an issue that hadn’t been discussed by either party.
Trump then went a step further, announcing, to the surprise of many lawmakers, that he was also seeking to suspend or eliminate the debt limit before he takes office in January.
However, Trump’s plans suffered a setback Friday night when the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would avert a midnight government shutdown, but left out his demand to increase the debt ceiling.
So why is Trump suddenly so concerned about the debt ceiling?
