Republican and Democrat Congressional lawmakers continue to negotiate the details of extending the U.S. debt ceiling to enable the government to continue to pay its bills on time. The Treasury Department had previously projected that it could run out of cash sometime in early June, but earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the United States could run out of money to pay its bills by June 1 if Congress does not raise or suspend the debt ceiling. Among other items, Social Security payments to beneficiaries and timely payments to health care providers would be at risk without raising the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is a cap on the total amount of money that the federal government is authorized to borrow via U.S. Treasury securities, such as bills and savings bonds, to fulfill its financial obligations. Because the United States runs budget deficits, it must borrow huge sums of money to pay its bills.