President Bartlet tells Vinick to "try the pistachio" ice cream, which Alan Alda's character Hawkeye lists first as a thing he misses from the US in the season four finale of M*A*S*H (episode 4.25, The Interview)
The issue of the "debt ceiling" became a real-life issue during the term of President Obama. The Congress raised the debt ceiling several times (also at the last minute, as alluded to in this episode) and ultimately forced a government shutdown after refusing to pass a budget in 2013.
David Broder is referenced in this episode, a rare mention of a real person. Broder wrote a politics column on the editorial page of the Washington Post for many years until his death in 2011.
Gary Cole (VP Bob Russell) & Stephen Root (Bob Mayer) also worked together on Office Space (1999) as Bill Lumbergh & Milton respectively.
Bruno (Ron Silver) says that "Republicans have won 49 states in 2 elections twice in the last 30 years." Ronald Reagan won 49 states in 1984 (after 44 states in 1980) and Richard Nixon won 49 states in 1972 (though he resigned 2 years later) which would have been 34 years before this episode takes place. Since the West Wing has never confirmed nor denied if Reagan was in fact president, this either confirms that Reagan was president or implies that Owen Lassiter carried 49 states, either way it would seem that Bruno rounded down.