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.

3 Big Hurdles in Next Rounds of Fiscal Cliff Talks

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

As congressional leaders exited the White House today after an opening round of discussions with President Obama, the mood seemed upbeat and lawmakers relied heavily on building-centric metaphors...
Obama’s ‘Fairness” Tax is Political, Not Fiscal

By Edward Morrissey

The debate over the fiscal cliff in less than seven weeks has produced some amusing attempts to capture the moment through common cultural references National Journal reported last week that some...
How Many Generals Does it Take to Screw… Up a Budget?

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn released a report Thursday that finds $67.9 billion of what he considers to be wasteful Pentagon spending—$50,000-per child schools, grocery stores, alternative energy...
The Stunning Collapse in Business Confidence

By Samuel Ro, The Fiscal Times

Morgan Stanley just published its November read on its proprietary Business Conditions Index, and it dropped 6 points to 35%. This follows last month's stunning 14 point plunge.
Obama Takes His 'Tax the Rich' Show on the Road

By Eric Pianin and Josh Boak

President Obama says you can’t change Washington from the inside and so will be using his bully pulpit in the coming weeks to whip up public support for his approach to dealing with the looming...

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