debt ceilings
Federal borrowing limits
Debt ceilings are statutory limits on how much a government can borrow.
In the United States, Congress sets a ceiling on federal debt; when borrowing approaches this limit, legislators must vote to raise it or face default on obligations.
The debt ceiling has become a recurring source of political brinkmanship: Congress spent weeks negotiating a debt ceiling increase.
- borrowingTemporary taking of another's
- loanBorrowed money repaid later
- limitMaximum allowed extent
- credit ratingsEvaluations of repayment likelihood
- credit downgradeLowered assessment of creditworthiness
cap · repayment · government · defaults · restriction · deficit · treasury · budget deficits · fiscal policy · deficit reduction · economy · appropriations · brinksmanship · political football · fiscal cliff · kick the can · government shutdown · shutdown
- legal limitsterm limits, speed limits, time limits, age limits, weight limits
- municipal bondsmunicipal bonds, munis, bond issue, bond issues, bond rating
- public choicerent-seeking, logrolling, government failure, collective action, Buchanan
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