Gregory Korte

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said it would begin to institute "extraordinary measures" to avoid a default on the national debt next week, as the government hits a congressional deadline to stop borrowing new money.

The notice from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin begins the perennial Washington agony over raising the debt limit. And while the move is routine and procedural, it represents a key early test of President Trump's ability to get a new debt deal with the Republican-controlled Congress.

"As I said in my confirmation hearing, honoring the full faith and credit of our outstanding debt is a critical commitment," Mnuchin said in a letter to congressional leaders late Wednesday. "I encourage Congress to raise the debt limit at the first opportunity so that we can proceed with our joint priorities."

The total national debt is now $19.9 trillion.

Congress last raised the debt limit through the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. But instead of putting a dollar figure on the debt, Congress simply suspended the debt ceiling through March 15, 2017 — next Wednesday.

The government wouldn't run out of money immediately. It can begin spending cash on hand. And, in a measure announced by Mnuchin Thursday, the Treasury Department will stop issuing State and Local Government Series securities. Those "slugs" help state and local governments to borrow short-term money at cheaper rates, but count against the debt limit of the federal government.

The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank that tracks the debt limit, estimates that similar measures may allow the government to pay its bills through mid-summer — though changes in tax law or spending could change that number significantly.

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