John Thune pushes for spending cuts in U.S. debt‑ceiling talks

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he would like any future deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling to include spending cuts. The current debt limit stands at about $41.1 trillion, last raised by $5 trillion under the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Donald Trump in July 2025.

White House budget director Russ Vought met privately with Senate Republicans and urged them to keep the upcoming reconciliation package focused on the SAVE America Act, defense spending and farm aid, advising against adding spending cuts or tying them to a debt‑ceiling increase. The House budget resolution under consideration totals $95 billion, with $72 billion earmarked for the Iran conflict and $12 billion for agricultural aid, and contains no offsetting cuts.

Republican lawmakers such as Senators Rick Scott and Representative Nancy Mace have echoed Thune’s call for credible deficit‑reduction measures, warning that the party’s fiscal wing will not support a ceiling raise without substantial spending reductions. Previous promises of cuts tied to the 2025 budget have not materialized.