Meet the new debt ceiling: $20.493 trillion

By Pete Kasperowicz

Published December 11, 2017 9:36pm ET

Meet the new debt ceiling: $20.493 trillion — After Friday, the U.S. debt ceiling took effect again. The new limit is $20.493 trillion, which a government website said on Monday was the total amount of accrued debt as of Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) | Mark Humphrey

The federal government is bumping up against a new borrowing limit, one that was imposed at the end of Friday.

The debt ceiling was suspended for about three months in September, which allowed the federal government to borrow as much money as it needed during that period. The government borrowed more than $500 billion in the last few months when the ceiling was suspended.