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Higher short- and long-term Treasury rates mean that the federal government’s borrowing costs will also rise, thereby generating significant consequences for the budget and the national debt.
There have been a number of proposals to increase, eliminate, or otherwise adjust the payroll tax cap as a way to shore up Social Security’s finances.
High healthcare spending is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if it leads to better health outcomes. However, that is not the case in the United States.
Even if Congress raises the debt limit and avoids default, last-minute brinksmanship alone has the potential to create economic damage.
If lawmakers do not agree on raising or suspending the debt limit before the extraordinary measures are exhausted, there would be severe consequences for both the federal government and the economy.
As the U.S. reaches its debt ceiling, the Department of the Treasury is now using “extraordinary measures” to keep the federal government from defaulting on its debts.
Increasing the debt limit allows the Treasury to borrow funds to pay for government obligations that have already been incurred as the result of laws and budgets approved by the President and Congress.
As the largest program in the federal budget, Social Security is a critical part of our nation’s fiscal picture and vital to millions of elderly recipients.
There’s no doubt America’s fiscal problems are serious and significant, but CBO’s assortment of options offers lawmakers a deep playbook of spending and revenue changes that would put us on a better path.
“Across party lines, vast majorities of voters believe that divided government brings an important responsibility for our leaders to work together to secure our fiscal future,” said Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peterson Foundation.
A continuing resolution is a temporary funding measure that Congress can use to fund the federal government for a limited amount of time.
