CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lawmakers are at odds on how to help fund the government and stop the markets from tanking.
Washington is fighting over how to deal with the nation's debt limit. It caps the amount of money the federal government can borrow to pay its bills.
But Democrats and Republicans can't seem to reach an agreement.
Last week, House Republicans passed a bill to raise the debt limit. However, the bill has a lot of strings attached.
That includes trillions in spending cuts in order to avoid a historic default.
Senate Democrats and President Biden say there's no way that bill becomes law.
Now House Democrats are taking steps to bypass Republicans and force a vote on a debt limit increase of their own without as many cuts.
But it's still unlikely.
If the government defaults on its debt, it would be unprecedented.
Financial markets could tank, loans would go up, and payments could stop on things like social security.
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