House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) expressed caution on the timing of the Department of Government Efficiency‘s spending cuts and its effect, citing how the United States is frequently spending more money than it’s bringing in.
Comer’s assessment comes as the topic of either raising or removing the debt ceiling, as requested by President-elect Donald Trump, has created some disagreement among Republican lawmakers, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) saying this could be possible without the help of Democratic lawmakers. However, Comer cited that Johnson would have to work with “a narrow majority” in the 119th Congress as Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Mike Waltz (R-FL), and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) have all resigned following the 2024 election, with Stefanik and Waltz both set to take on roles in the Trump administration.
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As such, House Republicans cannot afford to lose votes from within their own party in order to pass legislation, with Comer citing how difficult it was to do so during Trump’s first presidency.
“So when you talk about the debt ceiling, what people have to understand is the federal government’s spending so much more money every day than it takes in,” Comer said on Fox News’s Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy. “Even if we enact these cuts, even if DOGE is successful, we’re able to cut $1-2 trillion, which is a huge goal to try to achieve, that’s going to be over time, over 1-10 years. And this debt ceiling is going to cap.”
Comer further explained that if the U.S. wants to keep the bond market “in line” and prevent a spike in interest rates, the nation would have to raise the debt ceiling ahead of DOGE’s spending cuts’ effect. He also warned that a spike in interest rates would raise the nation’s debt of $36 trillion even higher due to the nation spending a trillion dollars every year on the debt’s interest.
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Regarding DOGE, Comer expressed enthusiasm for the 119th Congress to get to work with the newly formed group, adding that the House Oversight is in “constant communication” with its two heads, billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. He added that “most of their policy initiatives” are under legislative jurisdiction by the House Oversight, paving the way for the two to be “very busy” in the next Congressional session.
On Sunday, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) urged Congress to look at “the numbers” in addressing the country’s “out-of-control” spending, arguing that many people do not have a grasp on how much overspending the government is engaged in. He also stressed that the nation “absolutely” needs its debt ceiling to control government spending but said he would engage in negotiations on increasing it.