SCRAP THE DEBT CEILING? One Man’s Debt Ceiling is Another Man’s Floor. “With so much at stake, debt limit legislation is ‘must-pass’ legislation, so lawmakers usually try to attach all sorts of mischievous things to it, typically things related to the budget. Lawmakers who vote to raise the debt limit can then tell their constituents that, while they did so, they also voted to rein in spending or reduce future deficits.”