Andy Sullivan
Thomson Reuters
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Andy covers politics and policy in Washington. His work has been cited in Supreme Court briefs, political attack ads and at least one Saturday Night Live skit.
WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) – The latest standoff over the U.S. debt ceiling, resolved just days before the government faced a devastating default, has prompted some to call for the country to ditch its self-imposed borrowing limit.
That’s not likely to happen any time soon.
Though the showdown unnerved investors and prompted threats of a second U.S. debt downgrade in a little over a decade, proposals to abolish the debt ceiling have gained little traction in Congress in recent years.
Republicans have shown no interest in abandoning a point of leverage that they have used to win trillions of dollars in spending cuts from Democratic administrations.
“There’s no other way to address the spending habits that we’ve got,” said Republican Senator Mike Rounds.
This year’s debt standoff and the past two major ones — in 2011 and 2013 — all played out with a similar power divide in Washington, with a Democratic president and Senate majority, and Republican control of the House of Representatives.
But Democrats did not try to abolish the debt ceiling when they controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress in 2021 and 2022. Now they lack the means to do so.
Last November, after Democrats lost their majority in the House of Representatives but before the Republican majority was sworn in, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Democratic lawmakers to deal with the debt ceiling then to avert a crisis. Her calls went unheeded.
As a result, Washington will have to confront the issue again before the current agreement expires on Jan. 1 2025.
Some budget hawks who previously supported the debt ceiling now argue that the growing dysfunction in Washington has made the risk of default too great.
“If it was ever a useful tool, it’s outlived that usefulness and it’s time to get rid of it,” said Steve Ellis, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group that dropped its support for the debt ceiling earlier this year.
The United States is one of only two industrialized countries that requires policymakers to approve payments for debts it has already incurred. The other country, Denmark, has raised its limit high enough to render it irrelevant.
“We’re really the only country that does this to ourselves, and it has proven a complete failure in limiting the deficit in any way,” said Democratic Representative Bill Foster, who has written legislation that would abolish the debt ceiling.
Foster’s bill has drawn the support of 44 House Democrats, and he says Republicans have told him privately they support the idea. But none have endorsed it publicly.
Similar legislation in the Democratic-controlled Senate has likewise failed to pick up Republican support.
Congress has voted to raise or suspend the debt ceiling 21 times since the last time the country posted a budget surplus in 2001.
During that time, the debt load has grown from 27% of GDP to 98%, government statistics show, as lawmakers have signed off on wars, tax cuts and economic stimulus packages while expanding safety-net programs.
But the debt ceiling has occasionally proven useful as a way to force lawmakers to face the consequences of their tax and spending policies.
Congress paired several debt-ceiling hikes with bipartisan budget deals in the 1980s and 1990s that led to the balanced budgets by the end of the century.
More recently, Republicans leveraged a debt-ceiling vote to win more than $1 trillion in spending restraint from Democratic President Barack Obama in 2011, and $1.3 trillion from Biden this time around.
“The debt limit is a terrible tool to address deficits, but it’s the only one we’ve got,” said Brian Riedl, a fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute.
Riedl and other independent budget experts have floated ways for Congress to reckon with the national debt while taking the threat of default off the table.
The Bipartisan Policy Center has suggested that the debt ceiling could be raised automatically when Congress passes an annual budget, while Riedl says the budgeting process itself should be less siloed and flexible.
Absent those reforms, many budget experts say the debt ceiling is the only way to force some sort of fiscal restraint.
“I would never just drop the debt ceiling and do nothing else in its stead. It is the only fiscal speed bump there is,” said Maya MacGuineas of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Reporting by Andy Sullivan; additional reporting by David Morgan; editing by Scott Malone and Chizu Nomiyama
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Maryland will have a new tool to keep drunken drivers off the roads starting Tuesday.
“It’s been a long, long journey, and it shouldn’t have been.”
The long journey for Rich Leotta started when his son Noah died in 2015. The Montgomery County Police officer was hit and killed while on patrol by a drunk driver.
“I think about Noah all the time,” Leotta said. “I know he’s with me.”
Noah’s Law passed in 2016, requiring ignition interlock devices — like breathalyzers — to be installed in the cars of those convicted of drunk driving in Maryland.
But there was a loophole that allowed thousands of drunk drivers to avoid the program every year. If they were given what’s called probation before judgment, as many are for a first DUI offense, then they weren’t required to participate.
The exemption applied to about 50% of cases statewide.
This past session, Maryland lawmakers closed the loophole, requiring all DUI offenders to participate.
Under the new law, experts predict another 5,700 will be required to get into the ignition interlock program.
supporters say the program is not about punishment — it’s about changing behavior.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who have the ignition interlock device are less likely to drive drunk again in the future.
“But we still have a lot of work to do to make sure every state requires interlock devices beginning with the first offense,” said Stacey Stewart with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Kathleen Riley with Smart Start demonstrated how the device works. If it detects alcohol, you can’t start your car.
“In the state of Maryland, we also have cameras, so it identifies who is trying to take the test,” she said.
For Leotta, the journey isn’t over. He’s working to get legislation passed by Congress to require interlock laws across the country.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, ignition interlocks prevented more than 76,000 drinking and driving attempts in Maryland last year.
All DUI offenders are required to take part in the Ignition Interlock System Program starting Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Convicted drivers will have to install the system and use it for at least 180 days.
Under a new change to the law, all drivers convicted of alcohol-related offense will have to get interlock devices installed in their vehicles.
It is a rematch of last season’s national championship game when the Washington Huskies welcome the Michigan Wolverines to Husky Stadium in Seattle this Saturday. Michigan won that game 34-13. This season, the Huskies and the Wolverines are conference foes.
The Wolverines are on the road for the first time all season after five consecutive home games. After getting blown out by the Texas Longhorns in Week 2, Michigan (4-1, 3-1 Big Ten) has rebounded nicely winning three straight (all by 10 points or less) including a win as a home underdog against the USC Trojans.
Washington is 3-2 (1-1 in the Big Ten) on the season and coming off a loss at Rutgers (21-18) after beating Northwestern (24-5) and losing to Washington State (24-19). The Huskies’ best win this season came versus Northwestern (24-5) in their debut in the Big Ten.
NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from BetMGM, player news and updates, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts.
Listen to the B1G Talk podcast with Todd Blackledge and Noah Eagle for the most compelling storylines across all of college football, with the biggest teams on the rise and the latest rankings!
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The latest odds as of Monday afternoon:
o Moneyline: Washington -145, Michigan +120
o Spread: Washington -2.5 (-110)
o Total: 40.5 points
*odds courtesy of BetMGM
The look-ahead line for the preseason had Michigan -9.5, so there is a big overreaction to this spread. Washington is receiving early money and pushed this from Washington -2 to -2.5, but at -3, we should see Michigan money pour in. The total opened at 42 and 41.5 but is down to 40.5.
Listen to the Bet the Edge podcast as hosts Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick provide listeners with sharp actionable insight, market analysis and statistical data to help bettors gain more information before placing their wagers. So, whether you’re targeting spreads and totals, looking for value in futures markets or circling player props, give their podcast a listen to give you that extra edge.
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) has the following best bets for Saturday’s matchup between the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies:
“The look-ahead line for this spread was Michigan -9.5 and over the first month of the season, it’s now Washington -2 to -2.5. I believe this is an overreaction to the market and Michigan is defensively, going to cause problems for Will Rogers and Washington.
The UNDER is likely the best bet, but with Michigan rarely being a road underdog and the look-ahead line almost double-digits, I will take the Wolverines +2.5 and sprinkle the ML.”
Highest Handle%
· Ohio State 17.9%
· Georgia 16.1%
· Miami 10.7%
Biggest Liabilities
· Tennessee
· Ohio State
· Miami
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Drivers on the heading from New Jersey to New York on the George Washington Bridge heading into rush hour Monday morning were seeing major delays, according to transit service alerts.
As of 7:12 a.m,, the upper level of the bridge was still seeing 90-minute delays due to an earlier disabled tractor trailer, according to Port Authority alerts. Cars and buses were being directed to the lower level, but that was still seeing delays of about 30-45 minutes, according to alerts.
NorthJersey.com reported the traffic jam backed up onto Route 4 in New Jersey, causing significant delays approaching the bridge.
This story has been updated to correct a typo in its headline.
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