Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

US Avoids Default on Debt as Negotiations with Republicans Progress

US Avoids Default on Debt as Negotiations with Republicans Progress

The US will avoid a default on its debt, according to President Joe Biden, who stated that negotiations with Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy have been "productive".
The House of Representatives went on a 10-day break without a deal to raise the borrowing limit, but negotiators are said to be closing the gap on their differences.

House Republicans are demanding cuts of up to $130 billion, while Democrats reject the proposed cuts.

Economists have warned of economic catastrophe if the government defaults, and top military brass added their own dire prognosis.

The US government is facing a potential default if it is unable to cover loan repayments.

The Treasury Department is concerned about the potential default and has warned that it could halt Social Security payments scheduled for June 2.

A federal judge in Boston has set a hearing for a lawsuit filed by unionists who argue that the 14th Amendment requires the President to borrow funds to pay US obligations, regardless of what Congress does.

The US has only one other democracy with a formal debt ceiling, Denmark, which manages it without the political high drama that periodically grips Washington.

Raising the cap simply enables the government to make repayments on loans that have already been approved and carried out, and has no implications for future spending.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
×