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The history of the United States debt ceiling deals with movements in the United States debt ceiling since it was created in 1917. Management of the United States public debt is an important part of the macroeconomics of the United States economy and finance system, and the debt ceiling is a limitation on the federal government's ability to manage the economy and finance system.
U.S. federal government debt ceiling from 1990 to January 2012 [33] (unadjusted for GDP and population) The debt-ceiling debate of 1995 led to a showdown on the federal budget and resulted in the U.S. federal government shutdowns of 1995 and 1996. [34] [35] In all, Congress raised the debt ceiling eight times during the Clinton Administration.
Since first setting a debt limit of $45bn in 1939, the debt ceiling has been raised 103 times. The last time the debt ceiling was reached, in January 2023, the figure stood at $31.4 trillion.
On August 5, 2011, the United States debt-ceiling crisis of 2011, the credit rating agency Standard & Poor's downgraded the rating of the federal government from AAA to AA+. It was the first time the U.S. had been downgraded since it was originally given a AAA rating on its debt by Moody's in 1917. [ 37 ]
There wouldn't be a fiscal cliff without the debt ceiling. So why does the United States have a debt ceiling? And how did it pass into law? To understand how we got here, it helps to know where we ...
Since the debt ceiling system was instituted in 1917, Congress has never not raised the debt ceiling. Congress has voted 78 times to raise or suspend the debt limit since 1960.
The debt ceiling had technically been reached on December 31, 2012, when the Treasury Department commenced "extraordinary measures" to enable the continued financing of the government. [3] [4] The debt ceiling is part of a law (Title 31 of the United States Code, section 3101) created by Congress.
The debt ceiling was instituted in 1917 so the Treasury wouldn’t have to ask for permission from Congress each time it had to issue debt to fulfill its financial obligations.