
A Monday speech by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R–Calif.) and proposals President Joe Biden is expected to float in tonight's State of the Union (SOTU) address highlight the impasse Republicans and Democrats find themselves in over spending and debt. They also highlight absurdities in both parties' negotiating positions.
Biden wants to increase the U.S. debt ceiling—that is, the amount of outstanding debt the U.S. government is allowed to have—which already stands at a whopping $31.4 trillion. McCarthy-led Republicans in the House of Representatives say that's not happening without other spending cuts.