Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the United States will hit its statutory debt ceiling around the middle of January, a development she said will prompt the Treasury to resort to “extraordinary measures” to prevent the government from defaulting on its obligations. Yellen outlined the looming fiscal challenge in a Dec. 27 letter to congressional leaders, urging them to act to protect the nation’s economic credibility and preserve fiscal stability. She noted that the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 temporarily suspended the debt ceiling through Jan. 1, 2025, enabling lawmakers to avert default during contentious budget negotiations. A day after that deadline—on Jan. 2—a new debt limit will be set based on the total amount of outstanding debt subject to the statutory limit as of the end of Jan. 1. Yellen noted that the debt is projected to temporarily decrease by $54 billion on that date due to scheduled Medicare trust fund redemptions, providing a brief reprieve before extraordinary measures become necessary….