John,

The U.S. government needs to pay its bills.

Likely incoming Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has already stated that he’s willing to hold critical programs hostage, such as Social Security and Medicare, in exchange for allowing the U.S. government to pay its bills.

And it’s not just cuts to critical programs. If the U.S. defaults on its payments as a result of failing to raise the debt ceiling, nearly 6 million jobs will be lost, the unemployment rate will skyrocket, and we will feel the effects for generations.1

SIGN THE PETITION: Congress must raise the debt ceiling now to keep the government funded.

If the debt ceiling isn’t resolved soon, the U.S. Treasury will run out of cash on hand, causing the U.S. to default on its debts―something that has never happened before in our history.

Defaulting on our debts means that the federal government would fail to make Social Security payments, millions of Americans on food assistance would see their benefits suspended, and U.S. military and civilian employees wouldn’t get paid.

All hope isn’t lost. If Congress raises the debt ceiling during this lame duck session, they can stop Kevin McCarthy’s hostage-taking of critical programs and our economy.

Congress must come together to raise the debt ceiling now to avoid cuts to critical programs.

Thank you for all you do to protect our economy and the most vulnerable in our communities,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs