It is wonderful that our democratic leaders explain our financial situation with the debt ceiling in detail for us. However, a single, simple message is needed. All Republican voters hear is "default, debt ceiling blah, blah blah." Tell them their Social Security and veterans' checks will stop or be delayed and their tax refunds won't show up.
https://www.npr.org/2023/05/22/1177169711/debt-ceiling-limit-default-veterans-social-security-government-benefits
One of the first big bills coming due on June 1 is $12 billion in veterans benefits. If there's not enough money on hand to pay those benefits, people who've already sacrificed a lot for their country will be forced to sacrifice even more.
-----
The government is scheduled to pay $25 billion in Social Security benefits on June 2 — one of several big payments the program will make over the course of the month.
-----
The real estate website Zillow estimates that a prolonged government default could send mortgage rates soaring as high as 8.4%, from about 6.4% today.
-----
Other payments would also be in jeopardy if the government's borrowing limit is not increased soon, including:
-- $47 billion for Medicare providers, due on June 1.
-- $1 billion in tax refunds, set to go out June 7.
-- $4 billion in federal salaries, payable on June 9.
And the list goes on. Food stamp recipients, education programs and defense contractors could all be left empty-handed.
