What happens if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling? What you need to know about the showdown between Democrats and Republicans
CBSN
The debate over the debt limit — often called the debt ceiling — is heating up again on Capitol Hill. But government officials, business leaders and economists are raising the alarms, saying not addressing it in a timely manner would be disastrous.
The limit is the maximum amount the United States is allowed to borrow to pay its debts. If the amount of government debt hits that limit, and doesn't lift the ceiling, the U.S. would be unable to pay what it owes and could default. When Congress raises or suspends the debt limit, it's not greenlighting new spending — instead, it allows the Treasury to pay for spending it already approved.
Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.