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Scope Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating to AA- on Governance Erosion

The Berlin-based rater points to executive overreach as its central concern.

Overview

  • Scope cut the United States’ sovereign rating to AA- from AA and revised the outlook to stable.
  • The agency cites weakened checks and balances, including instances of ignoring court rulings and sidestepping congressional oversight.
  • Analysts highlight legislative paralysis visible in the current budget blockade, already the second-longest in U.S. history.
  • Scope warns debt could reach about 140% of GDP by 2030 absent corrective policy and links added pressure to Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
  • Despite the downgrade, Scope notes support from a diversified economy, strong demand for Treasuries, the dollar’s reserve role, and the Fed, while warning that political pressure to cut rates threatens inflation credibility.