The Debt Ceiling Dilemma: Political Impasse and Timidity.

House Republicans are pushing for a debt ceiling bill that limits Congress' spending next year, but breaking the logjam between the two parties on how to divide spending between military and domestic priorities is proving difficult. Republicans want higher defense spending, while Democrats want more money for nondefense programs. The House-passed debt ceiling bill would require a steep 17% cut to nondefense discretionary spending, which Democrats are not willing to accept. Republicans have avoided specifying what they'd cut, but both sides could agree to impose a spending cap for just one year and pair cuts with policies seen as creating "savings" and "growth."