Janet Yellen warns if debt ceiling isn't raised in just over a week, U.S. could face default

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Congress in a letter Monday that the U.S. government might not be able to pay the bills in just over a week — as early as June 1 — if Congress does not act to raise or suspend the debt ceiling.

Her letter came as President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy were to meet at the White House to continue negotiations over a debt limit deal, amid escalating concerns that the U.S. could default on the nation's debts for the first time if Congress does not act in time. 

"With an additional week of information now available, I am writing to note that we estimate that it is highly likely that Treasury will no longer be able to satisfy all of the government's obligations if Congress has not acted to raise or suspend the debt limit by early June, and potentially as early as June 1," Yellen wrote Monday.