2013 United States debt-ceiling crisis

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In January 2013, the United States reached the $16.394 trillion debt ceiling that had been enacted following a crisis in 2011. The debt ceiling had been routinely raised previously on a bipartisan basis without conditions and without additional spending cuts. However, in 2013, members of the Republican Party staunchly opposed raising the debt ceiling unless Obama would agree to defund the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), his signature legislative achievement.^[1]

The debt ceiling issue was one of the causes for the 2013 government shutdown, and a lack of a budget bill over the issue forced the government to sequester its budget. The crisis, as well as the government shutdown, ended on October 17, 2013, with the passing of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014.