The president says raise the debt ceiling or risk default and recession. But not everybody's buying it.
1. We don't have to default - unless you count a lot of important stuff.
Congress has never willfully let the United States default on any of its legal obligations. So it's impossible to say with certainty what will happen if lawmakers don't approve a debt ceiling increase soon.
If the government were to default, some people would get paid and some would not, right? It's not that simple. Here's a look at the ripple effects of a potential default.
CEOs of some of the nation's largest companies are calling on Congress to get it together.
A recent CNN/ORC poll found that 38% of Americans think it would be a good idea not to raise the debt ceiling.
