US can't wait forever to bring down fiscal deficits, IMF says

April 15, 2026 10:12 AM EDT

IMF's director of the fiscal affairs department Rodrigo Valdes attends the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

WASHINGTON, April ‌15 (Reuters) - The ​United ​States needs to reduce its fiscal deficit by about ‌four percentage points of GDP from ⁠the current level of 7% and needs ‌a robust, credible ‌plan to do so, International Monetary Fund Fiscal Affairs Director Rodrigo Valdes ​said on Wednesday.

Valdes told a news conference that the U.S. ⁠has the benefit of time, but the longer ​Washington waits on a debt reduction plan, the more financial pressures ​can build up.

"It's ‌important that markets today give the US space" on its ⁠debt levels, Valdes said, adding that markets are not as forgiving as ⁠in the past and the U.S. "cannot wait ​forever" to start on a fiscal consolidation.

"There is time because markets are behaving well," ‌Valdes said. "At the same time, the more time passes, the ‌more pressure could build down ⁠the road So ‌it's very ​important to deliver on this."

(Reporting by David Lawder and Andrea ‌Shalal)



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