Can Obama Ignore the Debt Ceiling? As the government shutdown continued on Wednesday, President Obama not only urged an end to that impasse but also asked Congressional leaders to avoid a showdown later this month on increasing the nation's borrowing limit. But a growing number of observers have said the president can and should ignore the debt limit, legislation that some say was never intended to inhibit borrowing. Can President Obama unilaterally ignore the debt ceiling and issue debt after the limit has been reached to keep the government running?