Speaker McCarthy and Republicans in Congress are refusing to pay the bills and threatening a default on the national debt. They want to create a crisis so they can make deep cuts to popular programs like Social Security and Medicare, taking away health care and retirement security from seniors, veterans and working families. But this isn’t just politics–it’s incredibly irresponsible. Failure to pay the bills would cause tremendous economic harm to the American people.

• Public Education: Students who rely on special education services, school nutrition programs and other services for low-income families would face disruption or discontinuation of services.State and local governments would not be able to rely on promised funding for schools.
• Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid: Seniors and others on a fixed income would endure delays in Social Security payments. Medical providers, including hospitals, rural health centers and physicians accepting Medicare or Medicaid would not be able to depend on reimbursement, which imperils their ability to operate and serve patients. Millions of people, including seven million children relying on the Children’s Health Insurance Program, could find themselves without coverage.
• Veterans and Active Military: Veterans and active U.S. military service members would face delays in receiving pay and earned benefits, such as tuition reimbursement, tuition assistance and disability payments. Default would erode trust and confidence in the value of service, potentially discouraging current and future generations from wanting to serve.
• Federal Employees: Dedicated public servants and their families would face hardship as the federal government would not be able to pay employees who help ensure our food is safe to eat, our water is safe to drink and our bridges are safe to drive on.
• Interest Rates: People would see their monthly costs skyrocket as everyday interest rates on cars, mortgages, credit cards and student loans will spike, adding significantly increased financial burdens on working people.

Simply put, if the government cannot pay its bills, families and businesses may be unable to pay theirs. Call your lawmakers and tell them to be responsible. America must meet its obligations, pay its bills, and prevent a national default on the debt NOW.