contingent on

[Joe]

In a dictionary, I see:
contingent: depending on something that may happen in the future

e.g. Congressional Republicans have made an increase in the debt ceiling contingent on a balanced budget agreement to their liking.

I don't quite understand the example sentence. What is the increase in the debt ceiling contingent on? "budget" or "budget agreement"?

According to the definition, when we say "we have done something contingent on sth. ", we indicate that we will do something if sth. happens in the future. Thus, we may be going to do "something" or we may not, because it depends on something may happend in the future. But why "have done"? What do you think? Or maybe I do not need to be concerned with every specific word in definitions?

Thank you very much.

 

[MikeNewYork]

In a dictionary, I see:
contingent: depending on something that may happen in the future

e.g. Congressional Republicans have made an increase in the debt ceiling contingent on a balanced budget agreement to their liking.

I don't quite understand the example sentence. What is the increase in the debt ceiling contingent on? "budget" or "budget agreement"?

According to the definition, when we say "we have done something contingent on sth. ", we indicate that we will do something if sth. happens in the future. Thus, we may be going to do "something" or we may not, because it depends on something may happend in the future. But why "have done"? What do you think? Or maybe I do not need to be concerned with every specific word in definitions?

Thank you very much.

That means that these politicians have agreed to raise the debt ceiling (the maximum amount of debt) only if they get a budget agreement that they like. The word "contingent" means "only if" in this case. :wink: