House Speaker Mike Johnson was forced to postpone a scheduled Wednesday vote on a plan that will serve as a vehicle for legislation to extend President Trump’s tax cuts before they expire at the end of the year. Hours of arm-twisting could not convince a contingent of House Republicans, concerned about mounting debt, to go along with a Senate-passed resolution with a low floor for spending cuts. They are right to resist.

The federal debt held by the public is expected to reach 100 percent of the economy this year, the highest level since World War II, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and it’s on track to surpass that all-time record four years from now. Every year after that, it is projected to set a new record, reaching 156 percent of gross domestic product within 30 years. Massive and growing debt will stifle economic growth, trigger sustained inflation, shift more government spending to paying interest and away from other priorities, and make significantly higher taxes unavoidable.