Democrats in the US House of Representatives are seeking a strategy to force an increase in the federal debt limit without the approval of GOP leaders.

Democrats in the US House of Representatives have launched a plan they hope will force an increase in the federal debt limit by allowing a majority of lawmakers to introduce a bill without requiring GOP leaders to do so. Democrats hatched the plan in January in case federal debt-reduction talks falter, as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans continue to demand spending cuts. Before agreeing to raise the debt limit, something both President Biden and Democrats have refused to consider. The Democrats’ strategy, known as the layoff petition, requires at least five Republicans to endorse it. If the federal debt limit is not raised, the US government may start defaulting on its debt on June 1. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that White House officials are discussing a legal theory about the constitutionality of the debt limit itself, though it is not known whether Biden would support such a theory.