Fed’s Powell sees long-term damage if US debt ceiling not raised
NEW YORK, March 7 (Reuters) – The United States risks long-term damage if Congress does not raise the national debt ceiling, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Tuesday.”Congress really needs to raise the debt ceiling … if we fail to do so, I think that the consequences are hard to estimate, but they could […]
Analysis: Looming U.S. default risk prompts investors to cut some debt exposure
NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Bond investors are starting to trim holdings of U.S. debt to brace for a possible government default that they see as highly unlikely but potentially seismic for financial markets around the world.The U.S. Treasury hit its $31.4 trillion borrowing limit last month. Unless congress raises or suspends that cap, […]
Debt talks can include everything but cuts to Social Security and Medicare, Republicans say
WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Republicans say they would not cut Social Security and Medicare programs but “everything else is on the table” in talks over raising U.S. government borrowing limits, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said on Sunday.”We need to shore those programs up. They’re running out of money. But at the end […]
In State of the Union speech, Biden challenges Republicans on debt and economy
WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden challenged Republicans to lift the U.S. debt ceiling and support tax policies that were friendlier to middle class Americans on Tuesday in a State of the Union speech that served as a blueprint for his 2024 re-election campaign.Assailing oil companies for making high profits and corporate America […]
Morning Bid: Powell confesses ‘This time it’s different’
A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan.Jerome Powell calmed the horses, a bit.In attempting to parse last week’s blockbuster January jobs report, the Federal Reserve Chair on Tuesday reprised his take from last Wednesday’s policy meeting – essentially that another couple of Fed rate hikes were probably needed […]
Veterans of 2011 U.S. debt-ceiling fight see tougher battle ahead
WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) – A Democratic president. A new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives pushing for sharp spending cuts. A rapidly growing pile of debt – and a showdown that threatens to throw the global economy into turmoil.Sound familiar?Those elements driving the debate over raising the federal government’s $31.4 trillion debt […]
McCarthy to discuss debt limit, spending with Biden
Biden, McCarthy set for high-stakes debt talks on WednesdayRepublican leader says U.S. default will not happenWhite House dubious on Republican plan for MedicareWASHINGTON/WILMINGTON, Del., Jan 29 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden and House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet at the White House on Wednesday for talks in the standoff over the federal debt […]
Odds ‘very high’ of U.S. military conflict with China, top Republican says
WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) – A top Republican in the U.S. Congress said on Sunday the odds of conflict with China over Taiwan “are very high” after a U.S. general caused consternation with a memo that warned that the United States would fight China in the next two years.In a memo dated Feb. 1 but […]
Splits emerge as U.S. House Republicans demand Biden negotiate on debt limit
WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives are divided over how hard a line to take on the debt ceiling, but were united on Wednesday in demanding that Democratic President Joe Biden agree to negotiate on spending as part of any deal.Hard-line Republican conservatives, who have the power to […]
Explainer: Shutdown? Default? Washington’s risky new debt ceiling standoff
WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Partisan brinksmanship in the U.S. Congress has made government shutdowns seem a routine part of governing in the past decade, but the current standoff in Washington over raising the $31.4 trillion federal debt ceiling is significantly riskier.WHAT IS A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?Congress is supposed to pass detailed spending legislation for each […]