Reality check: Can US pay debts during shutdown?

David Gamage interviewed by NBC Bay Area, October 7, 2013

“Treasury systems are designed to pay bills in the order they come in. There is no programming in place to prioritize payments; that’s largely because it’s illegal to prioritize payments…. It’s entirely possible—even if all interest payments are paid—that just the uncertainty and chaos surrounding the illegality could create a financial crisis worse than the one we’re currently recovering from.”