What’s New
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said that she believes President-elect Donald Trump is “exactly right” to push for removal of the federal debt ceiling.
“When Donald Trump says ‘just get rid of [the debt ceiling], it is not good for our country,’ boy, I think he is exactly right on that,” Warren said during a Thursday interview on CNN’s The Source With Kaitlan Collins.
Newsweek reached out for comment to Trump’s office via email on Thursday night.
Why It Matters
The debt ceiling—a statutory limit on how much the federal government can borrow—is a frequent topic of debate in U.S. politics, with conservatives traditionally being opposed to raising or eliminating the borrowing limit.
Warren’s public statement in agreement with Trump on Thursday was a rarity, as the senior senator is known as a progressive and ideological opposite to the president-elect.
ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
Trump told NBC News on Thursday that Congress voting to eliminate the debt ceiling would be the “smartest thing,” while suggesting that the borrowing limit is “meaningless” and he would be willing to team up with Democrats to abolish it.
“The Democrats have said they want to get rid of it,” Trump said. “If they want to get rid of it, I would lead the charge.”
Hours later, a Trump-backed temporary funding bill to avert a government shutdown while also suspending the debt ceiling for two years failed when a group of more than three dozen Republicans joined forces with Democrats to vote against it.
“I want to see us get rid of the debt ceiling,” Warren said during her CNN appearance on Thursday. “I’ve wanted that for years. Because year after year after year, the Republicans have used the debt ceiling in order to hold our economy, and our nation, and our good name around the world hostage.”
“When Donald Trump says, ‘let’s just make a deal and get rid of it altogether,’ I hear him on that,” Warren added.
Earlier in the day, Warren first expressed agreement with Trump in the following post to X, formerly Twitter: “I agree with President-elect Trump that Congress should terminate the debt limit and never again govern by hostage taking.”
What People Are Saying
Republican Congressman Chip Roy, responding to Trump’s debt ceiling stance in a post to X: “My position is simple – I am not going to raise or suspend the debt ceiling (racking up more debt) without significant & real spending cuts attached to it. I’ve been negotiating to that end. No apologies.”
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, on X: “Ha! Trump wants to lift the debt ceiling for one reason and one reason only – so he can borrow s***loads of money to afford his new giant tax break for billionaires and corporations. In other words, saddle regular Americans with mountains more debt so the rich can get richer.”
What Happens Next
Trump continues to hold significant sway over the Republican Party and many Democrats may support a push to remove the debt limit. But conservative opposition could make eliminating the ceiling a challenge.
While Republicans will control both houses of Congress next month, GOP leaders who support the limit could easily delay or kill any effort to repeal it.
