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How close did US debt come to its ceiling in 2017?

In 2017, through , room under the debt limit was lowest on , at $23.00 million; it was under $1 billion on 136 statement days, and the limit was suspended on 114 days.

The debt limit in 2017 at a glance

The debt limit in 2017
MeasureValue
Statement days held251
Lowest room left ($ million)23
Day of the lowest room
Near the limit: room under this amount ($ million)1,000
Statement days near the limit136
Statement days with the limit suspended114

Room left under the limit in 2017

$ trillion

Room left under the limit in 20170.00.00.00.016 March 201729 December 2017Room left under the limit in 20170.00.00.00.016 March 201729 December 2017

Source: U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data, Daily Treasury Statement, Table IIIC. Observed .

How much room was left at the end of each month of 2017?

Last statement day of each month ($ million)
MonthDateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
January 201719,899,722n/an/a372,728
February 201719,922,526n/an/a189,287
March 201719,808,74719,808,7722592,205
April 201719,808,74819,808,77224272,585
May 201719,808,74619,808,77226189,831
June 201719,808,74719,808,77225181,117
July 201719,808,74719,808,77225189,023
August 201719,808,74719,808,7722555,401
September 201720,208,638n/an/a159,322
October 201720,406,237n/an/a176,855
November 201720,553,698n/an/a183,157
December 201720,455,97420,456,00026228,933

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

When did the limit change in 2017?

Changes in the statutory limit ($ million; a dash means suspended)
First statement dayLimit beforeLimit after
n/a19,808,772
19,808,772n/a
n/a20,456,000

Every statement day

Each Daily Treasury Statement of 2017 ($ million)
DateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
20,455,97420,456,00026228,933
20,455,97420,456,00026205,236
20,455,97420,456,00026186,486
20,455,97520,456,00025202,567
20,455,97620,456,00024189,767
20,455,97520,456,00025183,859
20,455,97420,456,00026170,817
20,455,97420,456,00026177,911
20,455,97520,456,00025180,621
20,455,97420,456,00026159,494
Show 241 more rows
DateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
20,455,97520,456,0002581,451
20,450,93920,456,0005,06164,734
20,455,97520,456,0002574,174
20,455,97520,456,0002579,049
20,455,975n/an/a69,098
20,504,131n/an/a108,208
20,510,167n/an/a122,127
20,510,280n/an/a115,894
20,503,946n/an/a124,441
20,495,223n/an/a115,828
20,553,698n/an/a183,157
20,527,880n/an/a178,685
20,531,581n/an/a174,602
20,527,254n/an/a179,974
20,520,647n/an/a173,644
20,497,041n/an/a151,783
20,510,519n/an/a162,665
20,501,888n/an/a171,401
20,497,340n/an/a164,392
20,492,463n/an/a166,027
20,470,951n/an/a148,165
20,467,127n/an/a180,272
20,461,357n/an/a186,715
20,430,647n/an/a177,386
20,459,298n/an/a175,105
20,435,897n/an/a160,437
20,446,033n/an/a174,857
20,438,561n/an/a181,752
20,432,525n/an/a175,463
20,448,400n/an/a201,020
20,417,062n/an/a181,764
20,406,237n/an/a176,855
20,417,203n/an/a205,648
20,417,783n/an/a198,032
20,416,827n/an/a196,459
20,403,587n/an/a185,092
20,407,293n/an/a201,072
20,399,415n/an/a203,965
20,395,623n/an/a194,259
20,396,942n/an/a201,416
20,387,207n/an/a196,106
20,397,169n/an/a207,114
20,386,686n/an/a212,602
20,347,723n/an/a159,556
20,345,645n/an/a158,328
20,339,546n/an/a155,307
20,347,158n/an/a177,393
20,336,975n/an/a171,022
20,334,858n/an/a171,576
20,310,626n/an/a154,619
20,307,669n/an/a149,817
20,311,661n/an/a176,228
20,208,638n/an/a159,322
20,167,793n/an/a164,398
20,153,365n/an/a155,159
20,165,085n/an/a167,156
20,154,490n/an/a173,206
20,146,103n/an/a164,138
20,143,830n/an/a164,630
20,129,162n/an/a151,204
20,137,499n/an/a159,614
20,124,665n/an/a142,037
20,117,628n/an/a119,259
20,129,468n/an/a83,843
20,124,521n/an/a73,220
20,137,958n/an/a77,559
20,130,085n/an/a78,289
20,126,392n/an/a70,194
19,808,74819,808,7722451,974
19,808,74819,808,7722438,662
19,808,74919,808,7722340,456
19,808,74719,808,7722532,106
19,808,74719,808,7722555,401
19,808,74719,808,7722566,877
19,808,74819,808,7722463,991
19,808,74719,808,7722567,776
19,808,74819,808,7722459,400
19,808,74819,808,7722450,553
19,808,74719,808,7722567,930
19,808,74819,808,7722483,017
19,808,74719,808,7722586,813
19,808,74819,808,7722484,766
19,808,74719,808,7722582,481
19,808,74719,808,7722596,029
19,808,74719,808,77225100,391
19,808,74719,808,77225150,654
19,808,74719,808,77225142,035
19,808,74719,808,77225143,500
19,808,74719,808,77225139,553
19,808,74819,808,77224152,141
19,808,74719,808,77225158,389
19,808,74719,808,77225150,656
19,808,74719,808,77225146,985
19,808,74619,808,77226165,407
19,808,74719,808,77225158,260
19,808,74719,808,77225189,023
19,808,74719,808,77225187,603
19,808,74719,808,77225186,935
19,808,74619,808,77226183,534
19,808,74719,808,77225195,235
19,808,74719,808,77225197,523
19,808,74719,808,77225188,789
19,808,74719,808,77225197,167
19,808,74819,808,77224189,282
19,808,74719,808,77225198,878
19,808,74719,808,77225201,413
19,808,74719,808,77225168,075
19,808,74819,808,77224169,002
19,808,74719,808,77225162,156
19,808,74819,808,77224174,469
19,808,74719,808,77225178,605
19,808,74719,808,77225170,514
19,808,74719,808,77225170,463
19,808,74819,808,77224165,044
19,808,74719,808,77225167,210
19,808,74719,808,77225181,117
19,808,74719,808,77225196,229
19,808,74719,808,77225197,597
19,808,74719,808,77225211,666
19,808,74619,808,77226215,903
19,808,74719,808,77225208,406
19,808,74619,808,77226208,172
19,808,74719,808,77225225,126
19,808,74719,808,77225226,592
19,808,74619,808,77226217,596
19,808,74619,808,77226206,407
19,808,74719,808,77225197,389
19,808,74719,808,77225163,941
19,808,74819,808,77224159,881
19,808,74719,808,77225158,962
19,808,74719,808,77225148,101
19,808,74619,808,77226148,437
19,808,74719,808,77225154,760
19,808,74619,808,77226148,689
19,808,74719,808,77225153,151
19,808,74719,808,77225147,181
19,808,74719,808,77225168,966
19,808,74619,808,77226189,831
19,808,74719,808,77225176,984
19,808,74719,808,77225168,811
19,808,74619,808,77226154,827
19,808,74719,808,77225163,058
19,808,74719,808,77225169,279
19,808,74619,808,77226174,163
19,808,74719,808,77225164,862
19,808,74719,808,77225169,071
19,808,74719,808,77225172,891
19,808,74619,808,77226186,456
19,808,74719,808,77225181,943
19,808,74619,808,77226191,256
19,808,74719,808,77225187,503
19,808,74719,808,77225188,256
19,808,74619,808,77226203,648
19,808,74719,808,77225203,775
19,808,74719,808,77225198,887
19,808,74719,808,77225200,749
19,808,74719,808,77225203,408
19,808,74719,808,77225223,209
19,808,74719,808,77225221,998
19,808,74819,808,77224272,585
19,808,74719,808,77225246,213
19,808,74619,808,77226270,845
19,808,74719,808,77225283,119
19,808,74619,808,77226239,537
19,808,74719,808,77225213,518
19,808,74619,808,77226205,474
19,808,74719,808,77225229,485
19,808,74719,808,77225227,170
19,808,74719,808,77225148,254
19,808,74719,808,77225141,247
19,808,74619,808,77226123,150
19,808,74719,808,77225119,157
19,808,74719,808,77225131,850
19,808,74619,808,77226127,995
19,808,74619,808,77226118,677
19,808,74619,808,77226120,495
19,808,74719,808,7722582,953
19,808,74719,808,7722581,925
19,808,74719,808,7722584,437
19,808,74719,808,7722592,205
19,808,74719,808,7722598,537
19,808,74719,808,7722563,101
19,808,74619,808,7722663,232
19,808,74819,808,7722471,511
19,808,74719,808,7722563,231
19,808,74719,808,7722568,773
19,808,74719,808,7722554,245
19,808,74619,808,7722669,614
19,808,74619,808,7722678,819
19,808,74719,808,7722572,703
19,808,74619,808,7722675,002
19,808,747n/an/a23,416
19,865,505n/an/a76,966
19,820,930n/an/a44,185
19,816,412n/an/a30,491
19,818,436n/an/a34,015
19,842,040n/an/a66,163
19,852,719n/an/a87,546
19,845,835n/an/a94,138
19,841,196n/an/a86,903
19,857,643n/an/a108,983
19,883,386n/an/a148,385
19,922,526n/an/a189,287
19,893,815n/an/a187,606
19,892,630n/an/a178,118
19,876,348n/an/a168,837
19,898,448n/an/a228,171
19,897,848n/an/a267,019
19,894,898n/an/a262,312
19,888,941n/an/a263,607
19,899,844n/an/a274,178
19,895,125n/an/a317,911
19,886,629n/an/a319,586
19,883,373n/an/a313,404
19,884,608n/an/a317,544
19,847,022n/an/a287,035
19,858,146n/an/a305,860
19,852,678n/an/a310,638
19,848,122n/an/a303,596
19,865,040n/an/a325,827
19,862,531n/an/a339,229
19,899,722n/an/a372,728
19,902,197n/an/a390,855
19,901,357n/an/a379,542
19,902,213n/an/a382,448
19,913,018n/an/a401,735
19,920,472n/an/a406,507
19,912,028n/an/a399,002
19,909,553n/an/a382,078
19,906,645n/an/a382,412
19,923,799n/an/a396,916
19,922,254n/an/a393,824
19,902,781n/an/a354,989
19,903,941n/an/a351,931
19,914,002n/an/a369,010
19,926,482n/an/a377,113
19,917,523n/an/a379,887
19,914,890n/an/a370,697
19,910,522n/an/a369,343
19,914,758n/an/a371,833
19,897,337n/an/a369,781

The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.

Source: U.S. Treasury, Fiscal Data, Daily Treasury Statement. Observed .

Sources and licence

Sources and licence

  • U.S. Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Fiscal Data (source). Licence: Public domain, a work of the US federal government

Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0. How to reuse and cite this page.