Republican House leaders have announced plans to vote on a three-month debt limit increase, attached to a condition that Senate Democrats pass their first budget in four years or else go without pay. This debt limit increase is already being denounced by some conservatives as a retreat, but they would do well to view it as an opportunity to go on offense in a smarter way.

In the current political environment, Republicans will not get what they really want SEmD true entitlement reform SEmD not even in exchange for the debt limit. So in the meantime, it would at least be helpful to trade a modest increase in borrowing for a more responsible and meaningful system of budgeting. It’s a good start to force Congress to pass a budget every year before spending taxpayers’ money, but Republicans should go further by reforming both budgeting and borrowing.