Playbook: “The debt limit comes up at the beginning of March, and if you thought government funding was a potent legislative inflection point, the debt cap is far more dangerous. Trump has not played debt-limit chicken yet. But with Republicans in the House minority, and Democrats only now getting accustomed to the levers of power, who knows what might happen?

“The U.S.’s financial burden is growing despite a strong economy,” Bloomberg reports.

“Total public debt climbed to more than $22 trillion as of Feb. 11, according to a Treasury Department report Tuesday.”

USA Today: “The national debt has been rising at a faster rate following the passage of President Trump’s $1.5 trillion tax-cut package a little more than a year ago and as the result of congressional efforts to increase spending on domestic and military programs. The nation has added more than $1 trillion in debt in the last 11 months alone.”

Top lawmakers say they have reached a deal to fund the government through the fall, a deal that would resolve ongoing disputes over immigration and — if signed into law by President Trump — stave off a partial government shutdown set to start Saturday, the Washington Post reports.

“The framework would provide $1.375 billion for barriers along the border, including 55 miles of new fencing, with certain restrictions on the location… Democrats backed down from their demand for tight limits on the number of detention beds Immigrations and Customs Enforcement could use to detain undocumented immigrants, pulling away from a push that led to a breakdown in talks over the weekend.”

Jonathan Swan: “If the talks are dead, Trump is so dug in he has only two options: shut down the government again or use his emergency powers to get the money.”

“Both options are horrible. The first would herald a return to chaos, depleted government services and federal workers being deprived of pay. The second would mean an instant court fight and a backlash from Congress.”

“Millions of Americans filling out their 2018 taxes will probably be surprised to learn that their refund is less than expected or that they owe money to the Internal Revenue Service after years of receiving refunds,” the Washington Post reports.

“People have already taken to social media, using the hashtag #GOPTaxScam, to vent their anger… The uproar comes after President Trump and congressional Republicans passed a major overhaul of the tax code in December 2017, the biggest legislative achievement of the president’s first year.”

President Trump blamed Democrats for what lawmakers described as stalled negotiations on border security funding.

Said Trump: “I don’t think the Dems on the Border Committee are being allowed by their leaders to make a deal. They are offering very little money for the desperately needed Border Wall & now, out of the blue, want a cap on convicted violent felons to be held in detention!”

Trump added that Democrats “want a shutdown” to change the subject after “a very bad week.”

President Trump said that he is open to revisiting changes to a state and local tax deduction that Republicans in Washington enacted in 2017, the Sacramento Bee reports.

Said Trump: “There are some people from New York who have been speaking to me about doing something about that, about changing things. I’d be open to talking about it.”

“Until last year, taxpayers could deduct their state and local tax payments from their federal income taxes if they itemized their deductions. Republicans’ 2017 tax overhaul, however, capped the deduction at $10,000, which primarily affected wealthy individuals in high tax states like California, New York and New Jersey.”

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi is vowing that the federal government will not shut down again, even as President Trump ratchets up pressure for his border wall ahead of a fast-approaching deadline,” Politico reports.

Said Pelosi: “There will not be another shutdown. No, it’s not going to happen.”

“After the 35-day shutdown — and the political drubbing that Trump and Republicans took during the record-breaking impasse — Pelosi predicted GOP leaders won’t go down that road again.”

“Surveys are showing overwhelming support for raising taxes on top earners, including a new Politico/Morning Consult poll released Monday that found 76 percent of registered voters believe the wealthiest Americans should pay more in taxes.”

“A recent Fox News survey showed that 70 percent of Americans favor raising taxes on those earning over $10 million — including 54 percent of Republicans.”