re: What Actually Happens Oct. 17th

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With respect to prioritization, assuming it is technically feasible, who makes that decision? Can the executive unilaterally decide what liabilities get paid and which do not, or would it require Congress to act?

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You can have executive unilateral prioritization but this can also be challenged by Congress, but I seriously doubt the votes would be there in both houses although I would have to check which type of majority is required. Also the Supreme Court could challenge the President's right to defend the full faith and credit of the US government, but again that would take longer and it could essentially put the interest and principal payments up to a Supreme Court decision. I would hope that the issues of paying salaries versus entitlements would be a political issue rather than debt service, but then again that would make sense.