Trump shakes up spending talks with call on Congress to eliminate debt ceiling

In a move that has stunned Washington, President-elect Donald Trump is now urging Congress to eliminate the debt ceiling, dramatically shaking up talks among lawmakers, who are at an impasse over federal spending and government funding, which is scheduled to lapse this weekend. 

While some on Capitol Hill have balked at Trump's latest demand, the president-elect was unwavering on Thursday. He said he is determined to hold his position that lawmakers should both oppose any sweeping spending measure that includes "traps" from Democrats and abolish the debt limit before he takes office next year.

"Number one, the debt ceiling should be thrown out entirely," Trump said in a phone interview. "Number two, a lot of the different things they thought they'd receive [in a recently proposed spending deal] are now going to be thrown out, 100%. And we'll see what happens. We'll see whether or not we have a closure during the Biden administration. But if it's going to take place, it's going to take place during Biden, not during Trump."