It’s like comparing apples and oranges, professor Golnaz Motie says, because the government has many more tools and huge immediate obligations.

The current debt ceiling fight reflects old concerns about government debt, says economist Michael Boskin.

You need the courage to make cuts, the wisdom to negotiate and luck, says Linda Bilmes, who worked in the Clinton administration.

There are public holders and government agencies, which all comes into play in the congressional debt ceiling battle.

The U.S. government hit its debt ceiling Thursday and must raise the debt limit to avoid defaulting. How did we get here?

“So much is good about the recovery,” said Wendy Edelberg of the Brookings Institution. Yet “we’re still in the midst of chaos.”

The U.S. owes almost $29 trillion.

Congress is once again considering raising the debt limit. When did that start?

Congress will be revisiting this issue in December.

A legal loophole could let The Treasury Department mint the money it needs to run the government