Lew Uses “Final Extraordinary Measures” To Tide Treasury Until 17 October

The U.S. has begun using the final extraordinary measures to avoid breaching the nation’s debt limit, Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew said.

Lew, in a letter addressed to House Speaker John Boehner dated today, repeated that the measures will be exhausted no later than Oct. 17 and urged Congress to extend the nation’s borrowing authority “immediately.”

“Once the final extraordinary measures are exhausted, no later than October 17, we will be left to meet our country’s commitments at that time with only approximately $30 billion,” Lew said in the letter. “This amount would be far short of net expenditures on certain days, which can be as high as $60 billion.”

Lew and President Barack Obama have said they won’t negotiate on the limit, which is tied to obligations the U.S. has already incurred. Boehner, an Ohio Republican, has issued a list of demands before he’ll support raising the ceiling. His conditions include approval of TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline, major revisions to the tax code and a one-year delay of the insurance mandate in the Obama health-care law.

Bloomberg

This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.