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DURHAM, N.H. \u2013 <\/span>Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Friday said Democrats should deal with the \u201cdebt ceiling\u201d in the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress, removing the threat of an economic armageddon for the rest of President Joe Biden\u2019s term.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe need to act during the lame duck. We cannot let the Republicans take our economy hostage and use it as leverage to take away Social Security and voting rights from people,\u201d Warren told HuffPost at a campaign event for Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in Durham, New Hampshire.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Federal law bars the government from borrowing more than a certain amount of money, forcing lawmakers to periodically raise or suspend the \u201cdebt ceiling\u201d to prevent a federal debt default, which could cause a financial crisis and economic chaos.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Since the government runs a budget deficit every year, the total amount of accumulated debt keeps going up. The next debt ceiling deadline will come sometime next year, though the precise date is uncertain because incoming tax revenue can be unpredictable month to month.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n But one thing is certain: If Republicans retake the House of Representatives, they will refuse to support a debt ceiling increase without extracting major policy concessions from Democrats.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Republicans haven\u2019t said what they want, but House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has made it clear they want <\/span>something<\/span><\/em>. Some GOP lawmakers have suggested they ought to demand cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n When Donald Trump was president, Congress raised the debt ceiling three times. Democrats did not demand concessions. But Trump has been encouraging Republicans to use the debt limit as ruthlessly as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Several others in the Democratic caucus have said they shouldn\u2019t leave the debt ceiling to next year and let Republicans take the world economy hostage. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) <\/span>said this week<\/span><\/a> that dealing with the debt limit before new lawmakers take office in January would be \u201ca wise course of action.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n