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How close did US debt come to its ceiling in 2023?

In 2023, through , room under the debt limit was lowest on , at $24.00 million; it was under $1 billion on 95 statement days, and the limit was suspended on 144 days.

The debt limit in 2023 at a glance

The debt limit in 2023
MeasureValue
Statement days held250
Lowest room left ($ million)24
Day of the lowest room
Near the limit: room under this amount ($ million)1,000
Statement days near the limit95
Statement days with the limit suspended144

Room left under the limit in 2023

$ trillion

Room left under the limit in 20230.00.10.10.13 January 20232 June 2023Room left under the limit in 20230.00.10.10.13 January 20232 June 2023

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

How much room was left at the end of each month of 2023?

Last statement day of each month ($ million)
MonthDateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
January 202331,381,43831,381,46325567,908
February 202331,381,43931,381,46324415,005
March 202331,381,43831,381,46325177,692
April 202331,381,43831,381,46325316,381
May 202331,381,43831,381,4632548,512
June 202332,244,306n/an/a402,394
July 202332,519,638n/an/a501,828
August 202332,819,064n/an/a541,843
September 202333,070,476n/an/a656,889
October 202333,583,500n/an/a832,412
November 202333,761,054n/an/a758,851
December 202333,890,366n/an/a768,590

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

When did the limit change in 2023?

Changes in the statutory limit ($ million; a dash means suspended)
First statement dayLimit beforeLimit after
31,381,463n/a

Every statement day

Each Daily Treasury Statement of 2023 ($ million)
DateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
33,890,366n/an/a768,590
33,793,824n/an/a724,973
33,783,231n/an/a713,064
33,791,788n/an/a743,365
33,785,951n/an/a732,312
33,771,763n/an/a734,159
33,756,998n/an/a732,721
33,777,755n/an/a751,089
33,778,054n/an/a773,190
33,768,106n/an/a740,109
Show 240 more rows
DateSubject to the limitLimitRoom leftCash balance
33,723,824n/an/a648,048
33,714,068n/an/a630,618
33,736,344n/an/a647,560
33,738,678n/an/a672,734
33,731,005n/an/a663,322
33,715,615n/an/a668,198
33,703,337n/an/a667,678
33,702,766n/an/a664,742
33,700,140n/an/a681,693
33,685,683n/an/a668,199
33,761,054n/an/a758,851
33,731,702n/an/a753,570
33,733,518n/an/a750,724
33,719,524n/an/a753,486
33,707,617n/an/a741,224
33,648,533n/an/a693,007
33,667,762n/an/a728,200
33,633,067n/an/a713,770
33,626,572n/an/a702,626
33,619,725n/an/a699,261
33,585,112n/an/a669,976
33,622,249n/an/a771,735
33,587,106n/an/a756,859
33,580,822n/an/a742,834
33,580,187n/an/a742,861
33,586,693n/an/a763,459
33,604,481n/an/a792,916
33,568,187n/an/a774,170
33,557,992n/an/a763,377
33,573,693n/an/a788,127
33,522,686n/an/a753,008
33,583,500n/an/a832,412
33,562,831n/an/a837,969
33,560,565n/an/a828,313
33,560,149n/an/a835,081
33,560,270n/an/a847,717
33,570,282n/an/a870,378
33,523,387n/an/a834,758
33,512,278n/an/a819,841
33,511,150n/an/a828,553
33,516,099n/an/a841,103
33,534,808n/an/a857,495
33,477,748n/an/a815,980
33,414,218n/an/a702,519
33,407,370n/an/a697,013
33,424,038n/an/a713,000
33,436,355n/an/a743,996
33,395,841n/an/a701,735
33,397,610n/an/a700,182
33,367,183n/an/a678,959
33,363,357n/an/a675,324
33,337,928n/an/a677,935
33,070,476n/an/a656,889
33,030,561n/an/a673,174
33,033,304n/an/a672,142
33,052,040n/an/a700,881
33,018,734n/an/a689,999
33,006,362n/an/a674,158
33,004,045n/an/a682,503
32,976,672n/an/a661,717
32,996,958n/an/a674,935
32,960,112n/an/a664,013
32,948,767n/an/a632,855
32,891,789n/an/a582,843
32,864,945n/an/a537,364
32,884,616n/an/a550,831
32,846,379n/an/a525,312
32,844,186n/an/a509,313
32,838,434n/an/a509,104
32,810,463n/an/a481,552
32,797,239n/an/a488,303
32,746,969n/an/a446,118
32,819,064n/an/a541,843
32,762,861n/an/a500,702
32,764,143n/an/a500,010
32,723,213n/an/a472,203
32,716,837n/an/a461,257
32,683,774n/an/a438,914
32,648,730n/an/a416,031
32,666,954n/an/a441,138
32,619,373n/an/a415,598
32,611,033n/an/a404,968
32,609,603n/an/a408,836
32,570,006n/an/a384,814
32,588,055n/an/a398,438
32,572,653n/an/a463,127
32,565,644n/an/a451,362
32,564,402n/an/a450,098
32,531,892n/an/a432,262
32,554,410n/an/a458,998
32,522,503n/an/a451,335
32,512,290n/an/a441,481
32,512,788n/an/a445,120
32,510,151n/an/a460,926
32,497,688n/an/a458,113
32,519,638n/an/a501,828
32,566,762n/an/a549,904
32,568,347n/an/a551,631
32,546,050n/an/a549,897
32,561,758n/an/a573,898
32,509,234n/an/a545,014
32,502,439n/an/a532,834
32,501,038n/an/a537,869
32,480,967n/an/a537,441
32,501,324n/an/a561,519
32,446,339n/an/a531,417
32,451,782n/an/a521,622
32,451,041n/an/a522,700
32,431,497n/an/a517,418
32,450,921n/an/a542,784
32,394,504n/an/a511,777
32,389,038n/an/a504,990
32,385,254n/an/a513,410
32,315,246n/an/a446,864
32,234,290n/an/a394,457
32,244,306n/an/a402,394
32,228,559n/an/a465,122
32,160,045n/an/a408,561
32,179,069n/an/a437,999
32,108,734n/an/a388,777
32,084,185n/an/a377,384
32,079,660n/an/a366,505
32,008,869n/an/a292,106
32,017,742n/an/a327,925
31,956,056n/an/a266,875
31,950,372n/an/a250,417
31,869,769n/an/a134,857
31,890,043n/an/a133,059
31,841,911n/an/a100,939
31,835,072n/an/a86,001
31,834,613n/an/a87,972
31,772,316n/an/a77,500
31,770,727n/an/a71,577
31,741,406n/an/a71,218
31,381,43831,381,4632523,368
31,381,43931,381,4632422,892
31,381,43831,381,4632548,512
31,381,43831,381,4632537,357
31,381,43831,381,4632554,493
31,381,43931,381,4632438,837
31,381,43831,381,4632549,473
31,381,43731,381,4632676,546
31,381,43731,381,4632668,335
31,381,43831,381,4632560,656
31,381,43731,381,4632657,341
31,381,43831,381,4632568,332
31,381,43831,381,4632594,629
31,381,43831,381,4632587,431
31,381,43831,381,46325139,944
31,381,43731,381,46326143,314
31,381,43831,381,46325154,808
31,381,43831,381,46325184,915
31,381,43831,381,46325215,133
31,381,43831,381,46325206,714
31,381,43831,381,46325208,666
31,381,43831,381,46325188,309
31,381,43831,381,46325214,882
31,381,43831,381,46325238,463
31,381,43831,381,46325316,381
31,381,43731,381,46326293,717
31,381,43731,381,46326296,209
31,381,43831,381,46325315,930
31,381,43831,381,46325307,101
31,381,43831,381,46325280,912
31,381,43831,381,46325279,942
31,381,43931,381,46324265,095
31,381,43831,381,46325252,552
31,381,43931,381,46324144,079
31,381,43831,381,46325134,890
31,381,43831,381,4632599,488
31,381,43831,381,4632586,554
31,381,43831,381,46325107,469
31,381,43831,381,46325125,004
31,381,43831,381,46325110,822
31,381,43831,381,46325112,965
31,381,43831,381,46325140,688
31,381,43831,381,46325140,347
31,381,43831,381,46325173,105
31,381,43831,381,46325177,692
31,381,43831,381,46325194,336
31,381,43931,381,46324162,758
31,381,43731,381,46326166,348
31,381,43731,381,46326200,926
31,381,43831,381,46325187,365
31,381,43831,381,46325192,910
31,381,43831,381,46325199,856
31,381,43831,381,46325224,604
31,381,43731,381,46326267,101
31,381,43931,381,46324280,148
31,381,43731,381,46326285,108
31,381,43831,381,46325277,643
31,381,43731,381,46326253,921
31,381,43831,381,46325227,312
31,381,43831,381,46325208,074
31,381,43831,381,46325246,969
31,381,43831,381,46325311,731
31,381,43831,381,46325344,724
31,381,43831,381,46325340,182
31,381,43831,381,46325327,193
31,381,43831,381,46325355,232
31,381,43831,381,46325351,015
31,381,43931,381,46324415,005
31,381,43831,381,46325394,017
31,381,43831,381,46325381,671
31,381,43831,381,46325363,666
31,381,43831,381,46325451,307
31,381,43931,381,46324508,286
31,381,43831,381,46325475,675
31,381,43831,381,46325479,039
31,381,43831,381,46325439,703
31,381,43631,381,46327526,992
31,381,43731,381,46326501,103
31,381,43731,381,46326490,201
31,381,43731,381,46326494,252
31,381,43731,381,46326495,838
31,381,43731,381,46326528,118
31,381,43631,381,46327489,948
31,381,43631,381,46327477,618
31,381,43731,381,46326506,179
31,381,43831,381,46325500,852
31,381,43831,381,46325567,908
31,381,43631,381,46327579,826
31,381,43731,381,46326567,827
31,381,43731,381,46326568,553
31,381,43731,381,46326572,622
31,381,43631,381,46327579,841
31,381,43731,381,46326471,005
31,381,43731,381,46326454,615
31,381,43731,381,46326455,623
31,342,26831,381,46339,195377,500
31,343,93431,381,46337,529398,974
31,311,52431,381,46369,939321,572
31,310,80831,381,46370,655310,363
31,303,34731,381,46378,116346,426
31,322,93631,381,46358,527368,000
31,317,25931,381,46364,204385,220
31,312,62231,381,46368,841375,694
31,307,08831,381,46374,375379,653
31,303,80131,381,46377,662379,620
31,279,04331,381,463102,420386,114

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

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