As the U.S. Hurtles Toward a Debt Crisis, What Does McConnell Want?

Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, has a long record of tying debt ceiling increases to policy demands. But this time, he has made none.

As the U.S. Hurtles Toward a Debt Crisis, What Does McConnell Want?

Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, has a long record of tying debt ceiling increases to policy demands. But this time, he has made none.

Biden Accuses Republicans of Being ‘Reckless’ Over Debt Limit Increase

The president warned Republicans “not to use procedural tricks to block us from doing the job.”

Opinion | On Very Serious People, Climate and Children

Why don’t those who used to obsess over debt seem to care about the future?

Biden Accuses Republicans of Being ‘Reckless’ Over Debt Limit Increase

The president warned Republicans “not to use procedural tricks to block us from doing the job.”

Opinion | What’s a Little Disagreement Among Factions?

Everything is going just the way Biden dreamed it up. 

Democrats Move to Avert Shutdown, but Divisions Imperil Biden’s Agenda

Democrats prepared a spending bill to keep the government funded past a Thursday deadline, but moderates dug in harder against their ambitious social safety net bill.

Opinion | Think of Mitch McConnell as a New Jersey Shark

Republicans have learned that sabotage works.

How the Debt Ceiling Came to Be a Political Cudgel

The current fight over raising the debt limit is proving to be another lesson in American political dysfunction.

Opinion | Manchin and Sinema Should Just Say No

Don’t let the Democrats spend themselves into oblivion.

Yellen Warns of ‘Catastrophic’ Consequences From Debt Limit Breach

The Treasury secretary, testifying alongside Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, implored Congress to raise or suspend the nation’s borrowing cap before an Oct. 18 deadline.

Four Jagged Puzzle Pieces and a Few Weeks for Democrats to Assemble Them

The party must keep the government funded, stave off a default, push a $1 trillion infrastructure bill to President Biden and secure the votes for a defining climate change and social policy bill.

Republicans Block Government Funding, Refusing to Lift Debt Limit

Senate Republicans opposed legislation to avert a government shutdown and prevent a debt default at a critical moment for Democrats’ domestic agenda.

Explaining the U.S. Debt Limit and Why It Became a Bargaining Tool

Political polarization turned a tool for fiscal responsibility into a recipe for economic calamity.

Opinion | Democrats Face a Reckoning With Themselves

The party’s agenda depends on last-minute compromise.

Opinion | This Is No Way to Run a Democracy

“What the country really needs is some sort of Biden-Get-Your-Groove-Back campaign.”

America’s Need to Pay Its Bills Has Spawned a Political Game

Republicans and Democrats have long sparred over raising the debt ceiling. But this time, the odds are growing that the U.S. could default.

Opinion | Republicans Are Playing a Dangerous Game With Debt

They know the borrowing limit must be raised, one way or another.

The U.S. could run out of cash to pay its bills as early as Oct. 15, analysts say.

The analysis showed a narrower window during which the United States could default on its debt. The Treasury has said it has no official contingency plan if the debt limit is breached.

Opinion | Are Centrists in the Thrall of Right-Wing Propaganda?

A lot of what they think they know just isn’t so.