Will Potential Debt Ceiling Increase Include Spending Cuts? We Asked John Thune To Find Out
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that he would "love" for spending cuts to be included in future negotiations over raising the debt ceiling.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that he would “love” for spending cuts to be included in future negotiations over raising the debt ceiling.
Thune said Wednesday that the debt ceiling would have to be raised in early 2027, though it is unclear whether it would happen in the first or second quarter, Punchbowl News reported. The majority leader told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he wanted spending cuts to be included if the debt ceiling is raised.
“I would love to have some spending cuts associated with the debt limit debate,” Thune told the DCNF.
Thune’s office declined to comment on the record to the DCNF when asked how hard Thune and Senate Republican leadership would be willing to fight for the inclusion of spending cuts as part of any deal to raise the debt ceiling.
White House budget director Russ Vought attended a private lunch with Senate Republicans Wednesday, telling them to keep the third reconciliation bill focused on the Safeguard America Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, defense spending and farm aid. He reportedly advised against adding spending cuts or attempting to raise the debt ceiling in that specific package.
The current U.S. federal debt ceiling is $41.1 trillion. It was last raised by $5 trillion under the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act signed into law on July 4, 2025, according to the Committee for a Responsible Budget.
The House’s version of the budget resolution