The two people President Donald Trump has chosen to manage the federal budget appear to be at odds over how to tackle their first assignment: handling the debt limit.

Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin and Trump's choice to head the Office of Management and Budget, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.), face their first joint test in the run-up to March 16, when a debt limit suspension period expires. Failure to agree means investors in the world's deepest debt market may grow uneasy about the potential of a U.S. default.

The debt limit is a favorite bargaining chip of Republicans who are concerned about the nation's finances, which could worsen as Trump breaks with the party's fiscal hawks in pushing tax cuts and more spending.

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