Why the U.S. is closing in on both a debt default and a government shutdown.  Topics covered include:How a government shutdown differs from a debt ceiling crisisWhy hasn't Congress passed legislation to fund the government and raise the debt limitHow refusing to increase the debt ceiling could impact Social SecurityHow big is the national debt and who owns itWhy we never know how much federal debt is too much: Japan vs the U.S.How federal debt is used and how it has led to financial innovationWhy countries default on their debtWhat are some of the challenges with central banks pegging interest rates and monetizing the debtWhat could cause the U.S. dollar to crash and inflation to soarThanks to Alto CryptoIRA and LinkedIn for sponsoring the episode. Show Notes America’s debt ceiling is a disaster, though fiscal rules can help—The Economist Treasury Bulletin, September 2021—Bureau of the Fiscal Service Major Foreign Holding of Treasury Securities—Department of the Treasury/Federal Reserve Board Fed official warns of ‘extreme’ market reaction unless debt ceiling raised by Lauren Fedor, Colby Smith and James Politi - The Financial Times Republicans Are Playing a Dangerous Game With Debt by Michael R. Strain—The New York Times Explainer: What happens when the U.S. federal government shuts down? by Jason Lange—Reuters Janet Yellen Says Treasury Could Exhaust Cash Reserves by Oct. 18 if Debt Limit Isn’t Raised by Nick Timiraos and Kate Davidson—The Wall Street Journal Janet Yellen: Congress, Raise the Debt Limit by Janet Yellen—The Wall Street Journal Devin Carroll on YouTube In Defense of Public Debt by Barry Eichengreen, Asmaa El-Ganainy, Rui Esteves, and Kris James Mitchener Different Types of Central Bank Insolvency and the Central Role of Seignorage by R. Reis How do central banks control inflation? A guide for the perplexed by Laura Castillo-Martinez and Ricardo Reis—London School of Economics and Political Science Can the Central Bank Alleviate Fiscal Burdens? by Ricardo Reis—London School of Economics and Political Science See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.