I can't imagine anyone reading this will be surprised, but the Washington Post reports that debt ceiling talks between Senate Republicans and Democrats and the White House have broken down and shown no progress.
Mnuchin met Tuesday morning with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), searching for ways to raise the debt ceiling, but the gathering ended without any progress — or even a clear sense of what the lawmakers need to deliver votes to raise the limit.
The White House had implored Congress to raise the debt ceiling before the August recess, but lawmakers showed little sign of engaging. The House of Representatives has already left town and will not return until after Labor Day.
It's not necessarily true that the White House has "implored Congress to raise the debt ceiling."
Secretary Treasury Steve Mnuchin was the first member of the Trump regime to urge Congress to raise the debt ceiling all the way back in June, but other members of the regime including White House budget director and possible lizard Mick Mulvaney have sent mixed signals.
Mnuchin has urged Congress to raise debt ceiling with a clean bill, but Mulvaney has insisted that spending cuts and other "reforms" be attached to it. The latter is obviously far more likely to cause problems.
When the House of Representatives returns from recess next month on Tuesday, September 5th, they will have just 12 days of legislative session to raise the debt ceiling, fund the entire federal government, do something about taxes, and possibly something about health care.
There can't be anyone out there who believes they will be able to do all of those things in just 12 days. Even if they cancel a week of home district work they have scheduled for the middle of the month, that would only afford 5 extra days of session.
The next fiscal year and deadline for a government shutdown is October 1st, but the deadline for raising the debt ceiling is September 29th.