The next president's $4 trillion problem

Whoever is in the White House in 2025 will quickly face a series of legislative deadlines with impossible price tags: $3.6 trillion in tax cuts and $350 billion in Affordable Care Act subsidies are expiring — and that's after the debt limit will need to be addressed again.

Why it matters: The deadlines could force political horse-trading of epic proportions. Alternatively, gridlock or alarm over the nation's debt may lead to Americans seeing higher taxes and fewer benefits.

The big picture: Republicans' 2017 tax law and the enhanced ACA subsidies that...