I have one message for those observing or involved in the standoff over raising the U.S. federal debt limit: Be afraid, be very afraid. At this point in the financial and economic cycle, the consequences of failing to reach a deal would be particularly dire.
The risks that a political impasse will force the U.S. government to renege on its obligations keeps rising as time marches on with no negotiation or progress. Worse, both sides’ positions appear to be hardening. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ability to pass a budget bill (by the thinnest of margins) has strengthened Republicans’ belief that they can win concessions from the Biden administration — concessions that are actually anathema to the latter.
The Republican legislation would undo several of Biden’s major policy initiatives, including student loan forgiveness and funding for the Internal Revenue Service to improve tax compliance. It would add new work requirements for programs such as Medicaid and slash domestic discretionary government spending. In return, it would raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, whichever comes first — granting Republicans the opportunity to demand further concessions next spring.
Democrats don’t want to negotiate under duress. The Biden administration argues, reasonably, that the U.S. needs to honor its obligations: If Congress doesn’t like the way its tax and spending policies increase the country’s indebtedness, it should deal with this through the annual budget process. This is why the debt limit has almost always has been raised (with the notable exception of 2011) without requiring budgetary concessions, including repeatedly during the Trump administration.
In the game of chicken, the idea is to hold out as long as you can, to scare your opponent into conceding. So the standoff will almost certainly go to the very last moment, when the Treasury runs out of capacity to keep paying its debts in full.