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Take Two

What would happen if the US government were to default?

A furloughed government employee protests at the US Capitol October 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. US lawmakers embarked on another day of high-stakes political brinkmanship Wednesday, battling to scrape together an eleventh hour deal to protect Washington's battered financial standing.
A furloughed government employee protests at the US Capitol October 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. US lawmakers embarked on another day of high-stakes political brinkmanship Wednesday, battling to scrape together an eleventh hour deal to protect Washington's battered financial standing.
(
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images
)

Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.

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What would happen if the US government were to default?

The U.S. government is still shut down, and the country may be at the brink of financial default.  

The Treasury department says come Friday, it will not have enough cash on hand to pay the nation's bills. Everything from defense contract payments to veterans benefits and social security checks.

Joining us to break down what all this might actually mean is David Gura, Washington-based reporter for Marketplace.  

Although a congressional deal to avoid default is in the offing, the fact that we are cutting it so close is leaving investors — and us, too, really — feeling a little sick. 

Delia Fernandez, a certified financial planner and president of Fernandez Financial Advisory from Los Alamitos, joins the show with more.