Beyond the Debt Ceiling was a response to the 2011 “debt-ceiling crisis” in American politics. The U.S. House of Representatives was embroiled in a stalemate, with far-right congresspeople refusing to pass a necessary increase in the U.S. debt ceiling to avoid defaulting on existing debt. While the “crisis” was hitting a fever pitch in the national media, there seemed to be a dearth of straightforward, clear information about what exactly would happen if the debt ceiling wasn’t raised. Several members of The Notion Collective collaborated with a few friends with backgrounds in journalism and public policy to attempt to give an accessible breakdown of the situation.