BURSTHouse Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) dismissed President-elect Trump’s demand to increase the debt ceiling, saying he was a “hard pass” on the idea.
“GOP extremists want House Democrats to raise the debt ceiling so that House Republicans can lower the amount of your Social Security check,” Jeffries posted to Bluesky. “Hard pass.”
On Wednesday, Trump said any Republican lawmaker who backed a continuing resolution plan that didn’t include an increase to the debt limit should face a primary challenge.
The claim placed the debt ceiling issue at the center of efforts to fund the government as Congress battles to keep the lights on before a holiday recess.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle appeared to be caught off guard after Trump’s demand, which rejected the bipartisan plan to avert the government shutdown.
The debt ceiling puts a limit on how much money the Treasury can owe to cover the government’s bills. The country’s debt currently is at more than $36 trillion.
Jeffries’ fellow Democrat, Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.), accused Trump of wanting Democrats to agree to raise the debt ceiling “so he can pass his massive corporate and billionaire tax cut without a problem.”
However, another Democratic Senator disagrees. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted online in agreement with Trump, noting that the debt ceiling should be terminated and Congress should "never again govern by hostage taking."
A previous bipartisan plan passed by Congress last year agreed to suspend the debt ceiling through 2024, essentially delaying further action on a ceiling to whichever candidate won this year’s presidential election.
Some Republican lawmakers expressed surprise at Trump’s call, but also signaled they weren’t entirely opposed to it.
Trump’s demand stopped Congress in its tracks as it barreled toward the funding deadline and lawmakers were poised to act on the sweeping funding package.