Moody’s on Friday cut the U.S. credit rating by one notch, citing rising debt and interest payments that outpace those of similarly rated sovereigns, in a move that marks the end of an era as Moody’s was the last major agency to maintain a triple-A rating for U.S. sovereign debt.
The downgrade to “Aa1” from “Aaa” follows a change in the outlook on the sovereign in 2023 due to wider fiscal deficit and higher interest payments, and comes as the U.S. Congress debates tax and spending plans that could deepen the U.S. fiscal hole.
“Successive US administrations and Congress have failed to agree on measures to reverse the trend of large annual fiscal deficits and growing interest costs,” Moody’s said on Friday, as it changed its outlook on the U.S. to “stable” from “negative.”
Since his return to the White House on January 20, President Donald Trump has pledged to balance the U.S. budget while his Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, has repeatedly said the current administration aims to lower U.S. government funding costs.
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