There’s a show from the 1980s called ALF about an alien that ends up having to live with a family after accidentally crashing into their garage. In one episode, he runs up a major gambling tab and to pay it off raises the prices on items at the family’s garage sale without their knowledge to get the money needed to pay off his debts.

Is this spike in job growth a sign that businesses are hopeful for the economy under the Trump administration? According to the May, 2017 ADP Employment Report, the private sector added 253,000 jobs in the month of May, up from 174,00 jobs added in April. Small businesses account for one-third for the workforce creating 83,000 new jobs last month with increases in construction, education and health, and professional business services. Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody’s Analytics is hopeful that the government's 4.4 percent unemployment rate will soon drop below 4 percent.

Last week, the White House unveiled its budget proposal for FY 2018. The proposal has been received coldly by most in Congress, including many Republicans. The budget isn't perfect, but it does begin to bend federal spending slightly downward over the next ten years, creating a $16 billion surplus in FY 2027. The biggest criticism from policy wonks is that the budget relies on 3 percent economic growth, in part, to balance the budget. The increased economic activity would increase revenue to the federal government.

As Congress approaches the debt ceiling debate, conservatives in both chambers should look for outside-the-box approaches to address federal spending. It's simply not enough to make cuts to nondefense discretionary spending, which, over the next ten years, represents less than 13 percent of all federal outlays. Mandatory spending, or direct spending, however, represents nearly 65 percent of outlays and is what is largely driving deficits higher.

As part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 that was enacted in November of that year, the debt ceiling was suspended until March 15, 2017. As of March 16, 2017, the debt ceiling is now back in place, requiring Congress to take action to raise it by some time in Fall (likely October or November).