Debt Ceiling

Here’s What Happens If Congress Fails to Raise the Debt Ceiling

By Michael Rainey

What happens if Congress fails to raise the debt limit? A new report from the Bipartisan Policy Center examines that question in detail, and the results aren’t pretty. Here are some highlights — or...
Why Raising the Debt Ceiling Won’t Be a Problem This Year

By Rob Garver

The final wall of resistance to a “clean” increase of the federal debt ceiling, necessary to avoid a potentially catastrophic government default later this year, appears to have fallen, with White...
Top GOP Conservative: We Won’t Play Around With the Debt Ceiling

By Rob Garver

When it comes to the perennial fight to raise the federal debt ceiling, it’s usually best to assume that the struggle to give the Treasury Department clearance to actually pay the debts that the...
Raise the Debt Ceiling Now, or Face Another Post-Summer Crisis: Meadows

By Eric Pianin

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-NC, one of the most influential conservatives in the House, said Monday he favors quick action this summer to raise the debt ceiling, taking a stand on an issue that is...
Here’s a Solution for the Annual Debt Ceiling Crisis: Get Rid of It

By Eric Pianin

With another debt ceiling crisis looming that threatens a first-ever default by the Treasury and another government shutdown, there is a growing school of thought in the Senate that lawmakers should...

The National Debt Is a Bigger Problem Than You Think

By Lawrence Goodman

The U.S. debt situation is worse than commonly realized. Unaddressed, the surge in Treasury borrowing over the last 10 years represents an accident in the offing.
Mulvaney’s Debt Ceiling Ploy Protects Treasurys, Not Social Security Checks

By Rob Garver

The Trump administration appears to be considering a plan to pay some government debts but not others if the debt ceiling isn’t raised on time. It’s a plan economists and financial markets experts...
White House’s Debt Ceiling Battle Could Trigger a Shutdown — and a Recession

By Eric Pianin

At a time when worldwide confidence in the U.S. has already been badly shaken by President Trump’s go-it-alone, “America First” approach to trade, NATO and climate change, a White House riven by...
New Debt Ceiling Deadline Could Ruin Lawmakers' Summer Vacations

By Rob Garver

The federal debt limit, previously thought to be an issue that could be postponed to the fall, may need to be raised prior to the August recess, complicating the lives of top Republicans in Congress.
The Great Risk Shift Is Back

By Mark Thoma

The vote in the House of Representatives to dismantle Obamacare was not the only attempt to undo key legislation from the Obama years that occurred last Thursday.

Debt Limit: As America Loses, 3 ‘Winners’ Emerge

By Josh Boak and Eric Pianin, The Fiscal Times

The country, the world economy, your stock portfolio, your job security, your mortgage application, your Social Security application, and—heck—almost anything touched in some way by the federal...
The Loophole That Could Blunt a Debt Limit Debacle

By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

Current funding for the federal government expires at midnight on Monday. If Congress fails to act, an 1884 law, the Anti-deficiency Act , requires the government to shut down except for essential...
13 Ways a Government Shutdown Could Affect You

By Maureen Mackey, The Fiscal Times

As the clock ticks toward a possible government shutdown early next week, many are wondering how that scenario would affect them. The Office of Management and Budget has asked federal agencies to...
Boehner Shifts to Debt Ceiling Game Plan

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

The more House Speaker John Boehner talks about the budget and debt ceiling showdown, the less the American public understand how the differences with President Obama get resolved without damaging...
Cruz Gets Support from a GOP Shutdown Veteran

By Maureen Mackey, The Fiscal Times

Despite the criticism from pundits and jokes from late-night comedians, Ted Cruz, the intractable Tea Party senator from Texas (also known as the “Defunder”), has one big-time supporter outside the...

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