- While lawmakers often describe this

as a fiscal crisis, Director of National

Intelligence, Dan Coats,added another level

of concern to the national debt,

calling the situation unsustainable.

The country continues to add billions

in debt each day.

And just last week, Treasury Secretary

Steve Mnuchin asked Congress to raise

the federal limit ASAP.

What do we need to do to stop it

from hitting $23 trillion?

- (Chuckling) Well I hate to tell you

but it is heading to $23 trillion.

Neither party seems to be able

to do anything to stopthis immeasurable crisis

of national debt.

- One of Trump's former economic advisors

believes nothing short of a war

on wasteful spending,will change the tide.

Is there a way to break away from this use

it or lose it spending spree?

- Well there's always a, what we call,

fourth quarter spending where agencies,

if they haven't spent all the money they

were allocated by Congress,they furiously try

to spend money, it doesn't even matter

what they spend it on.

The money just flows out the door.

- [Ben] Moore says we need to change that.

One way, to offerincentives, even some bonus

to lawmakers who findways to cut spending.

- The problem is theincentives in Washington

are to increase your spending because

that's how you get a budget increase

the next year.

- [Ben] That's how theUS federal debt reached

22 trillion and is still growing.

- I don't think good growth policies

have to obsess, necessarily,about the budget

deficits, and so forth.

Look, Chris, my view,and I believe the view

of the Administration,we are going to point

a steady glide path towards lower federal

spending and federal borrowing as a share

of the economy, as a share of GDP.

- [Ben] Kudlow recommendsgrowing the economy

to the max by not raising taxes,

offering incentives, like Moore suggested,

and encouraging business confidence.

- Congress and the President should insist

that in exchange forraising that debt ceiling,

we have spending cuts that make sure we're

not going to $30 trillionover the next decade.

- The Treasury Departmentwill, most likely,

run out of money to pay the nation's bill

by the end of September,which means Congress

will have to take action,which will only add

to the growing debt.

Ben Kennedy, CBN News, Washington.