EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Thursday, August 7, 2025
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
EconomyLens.com
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials
No Result
View All Result
EconomyLens.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Economy

US loses last triple-A credit rating as Moody’s cuts over govt debt

Andrew Murphy by Andrew Murphy
May 18, 2025
in Economy
Reading Time: 7 mins read
A A
2
47
SHARES
588
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Moody's was the last of the three major credit ratings agencies to downgrade the United States, following in the footsteps of S&P and Fitch. ©AFP

Washington (AFP) – The United States lost its last triple-A credit rating from a major agency Friday as Moody’s announced a downgrade, citing rising levels of government debt and dealing a blow to Donald Trump’s narrative of economic strength and prosperity. The downgrade to Aa1 from Aaa adds to the bad news for the US president, coming on the same day his flagship spending bill failed to pass a key vote in Congress due to opposition from several Republican fiscal hawks.

Related

Bank of England cuts rate as keeps watch over tariffs

Germany factory output lowest since pandemic in 2020

Siemens warns US tariffs causing investment caution

US tariffs prompt Toyota profit warning

Swiss reel from ‘horror scenario’ after US tariff blow

Explaining its decision, the ratings agency noted “the increase over more than a decade in government debt and interest payment ratios to levels that are significantly higher than similarly rated sovereigns.” Moody’s warned it expects federal deficits to widen to almost nine percent of economic output by 2035, up from 6.4 percent last year, “driven mainly by increased interest payments on debt, rising entitlement spending, and relatively low revenue generation.” As a result, it expects the federal debt burden to increase to about 134 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, compared to 98 percent last year.

The White House took to X to push back, with communications director Steven Cheung singling out the chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, Mark Zandi, for criticism. “Nobody takes his ‘analysis’ seriously. He has been proven wrong time and time again,” Cheung posted.

– ‘Fiscal house is not in order’ –

Moody’s decision to downgrade the United States from its top credit rating mirrors similar decisions from the two other major US ratings agencies, S&P and Fitch. S&P was the first to cut its rating for the United States back in 2011, during Barack Obama’s first term in office, citing its concerns that a debt management plan “would be necessary to stabilize the government’s medium-term debt dynamics.” Twelve years later, Fitch followed suit, warning of “a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years, including on fiscal and debt matters.”

Moody’s echoed its peers in its decision Friday, noting in a statement that “successive US administrations and Congress have failed to agree on measures to reverse the trend of large annual fiscal deficits and growing interest costs.” “We do not believe that material multi-year reductions in mandatory spending and deficits will result from current fiscal proposals under consideration,” it added, flagging that it expected larger deficits to continue over the next decade. America’s “fiscal performance is likely to deteriorate relative to its own past and compared to other highly-rated sovereigns,” Moody’s said.

For Republican congressman French Hill, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, the Moody’s downgrade “is a strong reminder that our nation’s fiscal house is not in order.” House Republicans “are committed to taking steps to restore fiscal stability, address the structural drivers of our debt, and foster a pro-growth economic environment,” he said.

Brendan Boyle, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said the downgrade “is a direct warning: our fiscal outlook is deteriorating, and House Republicans are determined to make it worse.” “The question is whether Republicans are ready to wake up to the damage they’re causing,” Boyle said.

The Moody’s decision comes amid a tough fight in Congress to pass Trump’s much-touted “big, beautiful” spending bill, which aims to revamp and renew a roughly $5 trillion extension of his 2017 tax relief, paid for at least partially through deep cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program that covers more than 70 million low-income people.

On Friday, the agency also changed its outlook from “negative” to “stable,” noting that despite the United States’ poor record tackling rising government debt levels, the country “retains exceptional credit strengths such as the size, resilience and dynamism of its economy and the role of the US dollar as global reserve currency.”

© 2024 AFP

Tags: debteconomypolitics
Share19Tweet12Share3Pin4Send
Previous Post

US stocks add to weekly gains amid trade deal optimism

Next Post

The US towns that took on ‘forever chemical’ giants — and won

Andrew Murphy

Andrew Murphy

Related Posts

Economy

Germany factory output lowest since pandemic in 2020

August 7, 2025
Economy

Swiss reel from ‘horror scenario’ after US tariff blow

August 7, 2025
Economy

US tariffs prompt Toyota profit warning

August 7, 2025
Economy

Higher US tariffs kick in for dozens of trading partners

August 7, 2025
Economy

For Argentine farmers, Milei’s free-market reforms fall short

August 6, 2025
Economy

Trump’s ‘dividend’ promise for Americans leaves open questions

August 6, 2025
Next Post

The US towns that took on 'forever chemical' giants -- and won

Paris kidnap bid highlights crypto data security risks

High times for German cannabis firm amid medical boom

Tunisian 'revolution oasis' palm grove thrives on self-rule

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
guest
2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

September 30, 2024

Elon Musk’s X fights Australian watchdog over church stabbing posts

April 21, 2024

Women journalists bear the brunt of cyberbullying

April 22, 2024

France probes TotalEnergies over 2021 Mozambique attack

May 6, 2024

New York ruling deals Trump business a major blow

75

Ghanaian finance ministry warns against fallout from anti-LGBTQ law

74

Shady bleaching jabs fuel health fears, scams in W. Africa

71

Stock markets waver, oil prices edge up

65

Germany factory output lowest since pandemic in 2020

August 7, 2025

India exporters say 50% Trump levy a ‘severe setback’

August 7, 2025

Swiss reel from ‘horror scenario’ after US tariff blow

August 7, 2025

Asian markets rise as traders look past Trump chip threat

August 7, 2025
EconomyLens Logo

We bring the world economy to you. Get the latest news and insights on the global economy, from trade and finance to technology and innovation.

Pages

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Business
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

Network

  • Coolinarco.com
  • CasualSelf.com
  • Fit.CasualSelf.com
  • Sport.CasualSelf.com
  • SportBeep.com
  • MachinaSphere.com
  • MagnifyPost.com
  • TodayAiNews.com
  • VideosArena.com
© 2025 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Business
  • Markets
  • Tech
  • Editorials

© 2024 EconomyLens.com - Top economic news from around the world.