What Happened?

The U.S. national debt has surpassed $40 trillion, and Congress is debating whether to create a special commission to force lawmakers to vote on a fix. The House Budget Committee held a field hearing in Dallas on Sept. 21, chaired by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX)>), examining a bill that would create a 16-member bipartisan panel to develop a debt-reduction plan. [](#ngr-609defad-300a-46d6-a927-b01a4661d10a)

The federal deficit for fiscal year 2026 is projected to hit $2 trillion, double the three percent of gross domestic product target that has bipartisan support. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) noted the debt has "doubled in the last ten years."

Why Does it Matter to Me?

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget called the debt "staggering." Former Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) warned at the hearing that "unmanaged debt will lead you to make cowardly decisions," and noted Congress last passed all 12 annual spending bills on time in 1997. The bill under review, H.R. 3289, the Fiscal Commission Act, introduced May 8, 2025, would require Congress to hold a straight up-or-down vote on the commission's recommendations, with no amendments allowed.

Both Sides, Now

Portman stressed the commission must be "statutory" and protected from being "amended to death in the Senate," while Manchin, also a supporter, warned that "unmanaged debt will lead you to make cowardly decisions." Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) pushed back on a spending-only framing: "I assert we have a borrowing problem, and that there's two sides to it — sure, some of it is spending, but some of it is revenue." The Washington Examiner reported Republican lawmakers are "largely open" to a fiscal commission but "have varying opinions about what exactly that would look like."

What Happens Next?

The CRFB notes H.R. 3289 could deliver commission recommendations no earlier than the week after the 2026 midterm election and no later than April 13, 2027. The bill still needs to clear the full House and Senate before it could become law.

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