Susan J. Irving
Published: 2011-04
Total Pages: 52
Get eBook
Since 1995, the statutory debt limit has been increased 12 times to its current level of $14.294 trillion. The Dept. of the Treasury (DoT) notified Congress that the current debt limit could be reached as early as April 5, 2011. Under current law debt subject to the limit will exceed $25 trillion in 2021. This report: (1) describes the actions that DoT traditionally takes to manage debt near the limit; (2) analyzes the effects that approaching the debt limit has had on the market for DoT securities; and (3) describes alternative mechanisms that would permit consideration of the link between policy decisions and the effect on debt when or before decisions are made. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find report.