Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., is looking at a debt ceiling increase lower than what the White House would like.
"The White House wants $2.5 trillion, is what I heard. We're more in the $1.5 trillion range. It's not an official position, but some members of the Freedom Caucus have been discussing $1.5 trillion as a specific amount in a debt ceiling increase," Meadows told Politico.
The members of the Freedom Caucus want to address the debt ceiling — the nation's borrowing limit — before the August recess. They also want spending reforms and debt-payment prioritization to go along with the increase, Politico reported.
However, Politico reported Republican leaders have said they are more likely to work with Democrats on increasing the ceiling since they will need eight votes from Democrats in the Senate to pass a measure.
Meadows suggested a $1.5 trillion increase would push the debt ceiling issue beyond the 2018 midterm elections, Politico's report said.
Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin told a congressional panel Tuesday that President Donald Trump has a plan if Congress misses an August deadline to raise the debt ceiling.
In May, Meadows spoke about long-term solutions to the debt ceiling issue. Those changes would reduce the threats of government shutdown "not just for this administration, but for administrations to come," Meadows told The Daily Caller.
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