Fitch Says U.S. on ‘Rating Watch Negative’
The ratings firm said failure to raise the debt limit would erode U.S. creditworthiness
TThe U.S. government’s reputation for paying its bills on time is a cornerstone of the global financial system.
Photo: Nathan Howard/Bloomberg News
By
Andrew Duehren
May 24, 2023 7:53 pm ET
Fitch Ratings is reviewing whether the U.S. should retain its top credit rating as the White House and Republicans struggle to reach an agreement on raising the debt limit.
Fitch said Wednesday evening it had placed the U.S. triple-A credit rating on “rating watch negative.” While the ratings firm said it still expects Democrats and Republicans to reach an agreement on raising the debt limit, it said there was a greater risk it could fail to do so in time. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the U.S. could begin missing payments as soon as June 1.
“The brinkmanship over the debt ceiling, failure of the U.S. authorities to meaningfully tackle medium-term fiscal challenges that will lead to rising budget deficits and a growing debt burden signal downside risks to U.S. creditworthiness,” Fitch said.
Fitch said that a missed payment after June 1 would likely be inconsistent with a triple-A rating. The ratings firm also said that potential workarounds—like invoking the 14th amendment to ignore the debt limit—would undermine U.S. creditworthiness.
The ratings firm said failure to raise the debt limit would erode U.S. creditworthiness
TThe U.S. government’s reputation for paying its bills on time is a cornerstone of the global financial system.
Photo: Nathan Howard/Bloomberg News
By
Andrew Duehren
May 24, 2023 7:53 pm ET
Fitch Ratings is reviewing whether the U.S. should retain its top credit rating as the White House and Republicans struggle to reach an agreement on raising the debt limit.
Fitch said Wednesday evening it had placed the U.S. triple-A credit rating on “rating watch negative.” While the ratings firm said it still expects Democrats and Republicans to reach an agreement on raising the debt limit, it said there was a greater risk it could fail to do so in time. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the U.S. could begin missing payments as soon as June 1.
“The brinkmanship over the debt ceiling, failure of the U.S. authorities to meaningfully tackle medium-term fiscal challenges that will lead to rising budget deficits and a growing debt burden signal downside risks to U.S. creditworthiness,” Fitch said.
Fitch said that a missed payment after June 1 would likely be inconsistent with a triple-A rating. The ratings firm also said that potential workarounds—like invoking the 14th amendment to ignore the debt limit—would undermine U.S. creditworthiness.