Contrary to widespread claims that the U.S. government will default on its debt if Congress doesn't raise the debt limit, the Constitution and federal law require the Treasury to service the debt, which requires about 20% of current federal revenues. Nor would Social Security benefits be affected by a debt limit stalemate unless the president tries to illegally divert Social Security revenues to other programs. The finances of the Social Security program are legally separated from the rest of the federal government, making it illegal to spend Social Security taxes on any program other than Social Security. If Democrats and Republicans don't agree on a bill to raise the debt limit, the federal government will have to cut enough spending to completely stop the growth of the national debt. In other words, it will have to operate with a balanced budget.