The White House has notified Congress that the government is near its 15.194 billion dollars borrowing limit. This notification gives Congress 15 days to disapprove of an increase, or the debt ceiling would automatically adjust up an additional 1.2-trillion dollars. Thanks to last August’s budget agreement a government default will not become reality. That agreement permits President Obama to issue a veto, and the ceiling would rise even if Congress moves to block it.

Congress keeps increasing the debt ceiling because the U.S. government spends more money than it brings in through tax receipts. To cut costs, President Obama is asking legislators to grant him the authority to merge agencies that perform similar functions. An up-or-down vote by Congress on the plan must be held within 90 days of its submission.

The Agriculture Department is already making cuts. Last week, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced it is closing 259 offices across the country. The closures are part of plans to save about 150-million dollars annually in the department’s 145-billion dollar budget.