Debt ceiling votes...

Trump suggested scrapping future debt ceiling votes to congressional leaders

By JOSH DAWSEY and BURGESS EVERETT

President Donald Trump suggested to congressional leaders on Wednesday morning that votes to raise the debt ceiling could be done away with altogether, according to three people familiar with the conversation.

In a meeting with GOP and Democratic leaders, in which Trump sided with the Democrats on a fiscal deal to raise the debt ceiling, the president said he believes the votes are unproductive, those people said. Many lawmakers dread the vote, particularly Republicans, some of whom disagree with attempts to raise the debt ceiling without major fiscal reforms.

With Congress set to lift the debt ceiling into December as part of the deal, Trump floated the idea that the next time Congress votes to raise the debt ceiling, it could be the last. He said conversations should happen over the next three months, according to people in the room.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appeared interested in the deal but were noncommittal, with Schumer saying he would speak to his Democratic Caucus members about the matter. The debt ceiling is a key leverage point for members of the minority, particularly because it can be filibustered in the Senate and require 60 votes.

Freedom Caucus legislators, angry about Wednesday's deal, promised a spirited fight in December over the debt ceiling. Conservatives are unhappy that the White House and congressional leaders have agreed to raise the debt ceiling without spending cuts that the party pushed for while Barack Obama was president,

A White House spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to an email or phone call seeking comment.

However, the White House and its allies, regardless of party, often dread a debt ceiling vote because it rattles the economy and leads to further budget brinkmanship. And because fiscal issues badly divide Republicans, there is little utility to more votes that split the party.

Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Republicans brought up the House’s old “Gephardt rule,” which raises the debt ceiling automatically if a budget is passed, suggesting it's one reform Republicans could look at over the next three months as Congress prepares for the next fiscal deal, according to a Republican familiar with the conversation. Government funding and the debt ceiling would be extended through Dec. 8 as part of the deal hatched Wednesday, though the Treasury Department can use extraordinary measures to buy the GOP a little more time on the debt limit if necessary.