President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE’s record on the deficit is poised to take another hit.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Trump signs largely symbolic pre-existing conditions order amid lawsuit MORE (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Steven Terner MnuchinOn The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Vulnerable Democrats tell Pelosi COVID-19 compromise 'essential' Pelosi asks panels to draft new COVID-19 relief measure MORE are preparing a spending deal that could add as much as $2 trillion to the national debt over a decade.

Trump has sought to avoid signing additional expensive spending bills ahead of his reelection bid next year, and his team had put forward proposals to reduce domestic spending.

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But the White House had little leverage to begin with given the Democratic majority in the House, which was dead-set against the spending ceilings suggested by Trump’s administration.

And with the deadline for raising the nation’s debt ceiling moving up, the administration has even less leverage on the budget deal. Mnuchin does not want to risk a default on the nation’s borrowing limit at all costs, and he has been pressing Congress to raise the debt ceiling before leaving for the August recess.

The deal shaping up would set spending ceilings for the next two years, clearing the path for spending measures that will increase the deficit by roughly $75 billion over the next two years.

It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Trump, who campaigned on eliminating the debt and has received rare rebukes from conservative allies over his fiscal policies. Spending bills and tax cuts on Trump’s watch have helped raise the national debt from $20 trillion at the start of his presidency to more than $22 trillion today.

The deal wouldn’t be a total loss for Trump.



If the administration and lawmakers can work out all the details, the deal likely would help prevent any government shutdowns between now and Election Day 2020, and it would also put an end to the debate over the debt ceiling.

It could also pump more money into the economy, helping to fuel economic growth that has boosted Trump’s hopes for reelection.

“The real good for us is two years of stability, which I think is very important to keep the economy moving in the right direction and government function,” said Rep. Tom Cole Thomas (Tom) Jeffrey ColeBottom line House approves .3 trillion spending package for 2021 Multiple lawmakers self-quarantine after exposure to Gohmert MORE (R-Okla.), an appropriator. “The last thing you want moving into an election is to shut down government or an economy that’s nosediving.”

An analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that the deal could add $375 billion to deficits over the next decade, compared to current spending levels.

Some Republicans see the rising deficit as a liability.

On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump previews SCOTUS nominee as 'totally brilliant' Rand Paul says he can't judge 'guilt or innocence' in Breonna Taylor case Overnight Health Care: Health officials tell public to trust in science | Despair at CDC under Trump influence | A new vaccine phase 3 trial starts MORE (R-Ky.) blocked an extension of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund over fears about the debt.



“Any new spending ... should be offset by cutting spending that's less valuable,” he said.



Former Rep. Mark Sanford Mark SanfordOn The Money: Business world braces for blue sweep | Federal Reserve chief to outline plans for inflation, economy | Meadows 'not optimistic' about stalemate on coronavirus deal Trump critic Sanford forms anti-debt advocacy group Republicans officially renominate Trump for president MORE (R-S.C.) is mulling a primary run against Trump based on concerns over the deficit.

At the same time, the rising red ink underscores the growing reality that lawmakers in both parties generally see little downside in raising the deficit.

Democrats blame Republicans for passing $1.9 trillion in deficit-financed tax cuts and demanding huge increases to defense spending.



“I think what we need to do is to cut, revoke the tax bill that really only benefited the wealthiest of the wealthy in this nation," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro Rosa Luisa DeLauroOvernight Health Care: CDC pulls revised guidance on coronavirus | Government watchdog finds supply shortages are harming US response | As virus pummels US, Europe sees its own spike Trump HHS official faces firestorm after attacks on scientists Ahead of a coronavirus vaccine, Mexico's drug pricing to have far-reaching impacts on Americans MORE (D-Conn.), who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.

Republicans blame Democrats for demanding dollar-for-dollar increases to domestic spending to match defense increases.



“We have the age-old problem of Republicans like myself want to see an increasing defense spending and, sadly, Democrats want dollar-for-dollar with that,” said Rep. Chuck Fleischmann Charles (Chuck) Joseph FleischmannDemocrats may bring DHS bill to House floor GOP-Trump fractures on masks open up Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says public health threat of loneliness compounded by COVID-19; Trump says task force will 'evolve' MORE (R-Tenn.), the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.

Fleischmann and Cole argue that the real debt driver is found in entitlement spending that is outside the discretionary spending Congress approves in annual appropriations bills.

“Right now, if you looked at the discretionary budget in FY 2019, we're spending less on defense and OCO [Overseas Contingency Operations funds] combined than we were in 2010, we're spending less on nondefense discretionary than we were literally 10 years ago in 2010,” Cole said. “So what that means is, where's the extra spending coming from? Guess what? Entitlements.”

It’s not completely clear Mnuchin and lawmakers will finish off their deal.

As of Thursday, negotiators had agreed to top-line spending numbers and were working out how much of the spending to offset.



Mnuchin pushed back at reports that the White House was not on board with the way the agreement was shaping up because of the deficit implications.



“I have been having daily conversations with our internal team,” he told CNBC, specifically mentioning that he had spoken to Trump and his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney Mick MulvaneyOn The Money: House panel pulls Powell into partisan battles | New York considers hiking taxes on the rich | Treasury: Trump's payroll tax deferral won't hurt Social Security Blockchain trade group names Mick Mulvaney to board Mick Mulvaney to start hedge fund MORE.



Members of Congress have viewed Mulvaney, a conservative former congressman who is also the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, as an obstacle to progress in the talks and were relieved when Mnuchin became the point man.