If Congress doesn’t act before the March 1 deadline, federal spending will be reduced by $85 billion in the final seven months of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 and by $1.2 trillion over the next nine years.
Legislation passed last year, known as a continuing resolution, funds the government through March 27.
Fitch Ratings has had a negative outlook on the U.S.’s AAA ranking since 2011.