WASHINGTON: Republican hardliners who normally are ardent supporters of President-elect Donald Trump are resisting his push to raise the US debt ceiling, sticking to their belief that government spending needs to be pruned and defying his warnings of revenge.
Some 38 House of Representatives Republicans voted against a debt ceiling bill Trump demanded, showing the limits of his grip on the party, a month before he takes office on Jan 20.
It was the first time that Congress had been asked to vote on a Trump priority since his election. While some of his Cabinet picks have drawn some Republican criticism, those who dropped out of consideration – notably former congressman Matt Gaetz – did so on their own accord.
But Trump’s call to suspend limits on borrowing – at a time when the federal government’s debt exceeds US$36 trillion – runs against long-voiced Republican concerns about fiscal profligacy in Washington.
“Suspending the debt ceiling entirely at this point would allow Congress to add an unlimited amount of debt to our already US$36 trillion national debt for two years, with no reforms to rein in reckless spending,” said Republican Representative Nancy Mace, one of the 38 who voted against the bill, which was also meant to avert a partial government shutdown that will begin on Saturday without Congressional action.
Trump has prioritised more tax cuts in his second term, which tax experts say could add another US$4 trillion to the US debt over the next decade. He has tapped Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to identify ways to cut government spending.
Most of the Republicans who voted down Thursday’s bill come from safely conservative districts in states including West Virginia, South Carolina, Utah, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
