US Debt Default and Cryptocurrencies
As of January 19, 2023, the United States government owes money in excess of its legal debt ceiling. Congress has entered into what has become a yearly game of “chicken” in which both Republicans and Democrats are competing to see who can make the other back down. Republicans want to extract legislation to reduce spending (and benefits) on programs like Social Security and Medicare while Democrats say that the debt ceiling has to do with money already spent, debts incurred, and money owed. The worst result of any game of “chicken” is when neither side backs down and two cars crash head on, the Cuban Missile Crisis turns into a nuclear war, or the US defaults on its debt and the full faith and credit of the US government turns out to be a joke. Bitcoin and the rest were supposed to be immune from things that affect traditional currencies. Are US debt default and cryptocurrencies related and, if so, how?