Johnson downplays debt cliff risks with one-track reconciliation push

Trying to raise the debt limit in a massive reconciliation bill could completely derail an already messy process. Speaker Mike Johnson is insisting it’s still his plan.

Republicans were already worried that passing new policies on the border, energy and taxes via the budget reconciliation process — which they can use to pass bills on a party-line basis — was going to be difficult. Johnson then promised incoming President Donald Trump in December that he would also use a reconciliation bill to raise the debt ceiling, adding another layer of complexity. Conservatives are generally opposed to raising the debt limit and have demanded huge spending cuts in exchange for their support.

Asked about the potential risks to the nation’s credit rating if the package is delayed, Johnson indicated in a brief interview Tuesday that he’s still pushing for the measure and reiterated his optimistic timeline for passage.

“We're gonna get the debt limit handled well before the June deadline. So we're not concerned about that,” Johnson said, referring to a tentative estimate for when the nation could be risking default unless Congress acts.

GOP leaders have been privately discussing several options for the debt limit, including dealing with it via the budget reconciliation process as part of a deal with hardliners to pair it with deep spending cuts. They’ve also raised the option of incorporating a debt ceiling hike in the upcoming federal funding talks — though Johnson acknowledged in a press conference earlier Tuesday that such a move would require bipartisan negotiations, meaning Democrats could make spending demands in exchange for their support.

In the Tuesday press conference, Johnson reiterated to reporters that “the intention is to handle the debt limit in reconciliation.” He added: “That way, as the Republican Party, the party in charge of both chambers, we then get to determine the details of that.”

Not all Republicans are fully settled on a strategy yet, however.

“How we deal with the debt limit is currently unresolved,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said. “We’re going to be looking to see what the House is capable of passing.”