
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has given Congress a more precise date — June 5 — for when the U.S. government will hit the debt ceiling and run out of money to pay its bills.
Why it matters: Yellen's previous warnings estimated the U.S. would hit the so-called X-date as early as June 1, but her latest letter provides a firmer deadline as lawmakers and the White House work to avoid a damaging debt default.
What they're saying: "Based on the most recent available data, we now estimate that Treasury will have insufficient resources to satisfy the government’s obligations if Congress has not raised or suspended the debt limit by June 5," Yellen said in a Friday letter to congressional leadership.