The Rise of America's Debt Ceiling has been visualized below using data from various sources, including the World Bank, U.S. Department of the Treasury, and Congressional Research Service.
Every few years the debt ceiling standoff puts the credit of the U.S. at risk.
In January, the $31.4 trillion debt limit - the amount of debt the U.S. government can hold - was reached. That means U.S. cash reserves could be exhausted by June 1 according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Should Republicans and Democrats fail to act, the U.S. could default on its debt, causing harmful effects across the financial system.
The graphic below, via Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld and Nick Routley, shows the sharp rise in the debt ceiling in recent years, pulling data from various sources including the World Bank, U.S. Department of Treasury, and Congressional Research Service.
Familiar Territory
Raising the debt ceiling is nothing new. Since 1960, it’s been raised 78 tim...
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