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As Government Reaches Debt Limit, BPC Issues Methodology Guide to "X Date" Projections

Washington, D.C.– The Bipartisan Policy Center has issued a helpful guide to understanding the methodology behind our independent projections for the “X Date” ? the point at which the United States federal government will be in technical default. Our current projection indicates that, absent congressional action, the federal government will be unable to meet all of its financial obligations in fall 2019.

“With the debt limit now reinstated at $22 trillion, the federal government is hurtling towards its X Date, when the Treasury Department would run out of cash to meet all of the federal government’s obligations in full and on time,” said Shai Akabas, BPC’s director of economic policy. “These new resources help explain where we are, when the ‘X Date’ will arrive, and what could happen as we get closer.”

Resources

Methodology:
Breaking Down BPC’s New Debt Limit “X Date” Projection

Slide Deck: Debt Limit Analysis

Op-ed: Roll Call

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