Some deficit hawks are urging precisely that course – saying it will force Congress to rein in spending.
Michael Tanner of the libertarian Cato Institute recently argued that Republicans lose any hoped-for leverage if they concede up front – as some GOP leaders have – that they'll ultimately vote to raise the debt ceiling.
But most budget experts don't see "no" as a plausible final answer. The government is now spending basically $3 for every $2 it takes in, says Eugene Steuerle, a fiscal-policy expert at the Urban Institute. For all the concern voters express about the national debt, Republicans could face a political backlash if their attempts to rein in spending result in cuts that the public perceives as too painful.
For context, consider the recent Republican push to carve $100 billion out of federal spending this year. That's a big number, but at present it buys only about a one-month reprieve in federal borrowing.
