Geithner Urges Congress to Raise Debt Limit

WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner warned congressional leaders Thursday that the government could reach its borrowing limit by spring and failure to raise it could affect millions of American jobs.

The government will reach the limit between March 31 and May 16, Geithner said in a letter to congressional leaders. Not increasing the $14.3 trillion debt limit could lead to job losses, he said. Inaction could drive up interest rates and make it more costly for U.S. companies to borrow money.

[Take the poll: Should Congress Raise the Debt Ceiling?]

Geithner's warning is directed chiefly at Republicans, who are vowing to block an increase in the debt limit and use the fight to restrain government spending.

House Speaker John Boehner said spending cuts and reforming a broken budget process must come first. Those are the top priorities for the new Republican majority in the House.

"While America cannot default on its debt, we also cannot continue to borrow recklessly, dig ourselves deeper into this hole and mortgage the future of our children and grandchildren," Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said in a statement. [Read more about the deficit and national debt.]

Geithner warned that a failure to raise the debt limit would mean the government would not be able to make the payments on the current debt, which stands at $13.96 trillion.

Treasury debt is considered the safest investment in the world because the U.S. government has never defaulted. However, the effort to raise the debt limit is expected to be especially contentious this time. Many newly elected Republicans campaigned against the government's soaring deficits and debt. [Read more about the economy and unemployment.]

"Even a very short-term or limited default would have catastrophic economic consequences that would last for decades," Geithner said. "For these reasons, I am requesting that Congress act to increase the limit early this year, well before the threat of default becomes imminent."

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