[Yellen: if the US debt ceiling issue is not resolved, the economic achievements of the past two years will be threatened.] Treasury Secretary Yellen implored lawmakers to raise the federal debt ceiling and praised the Biden administration's economic policies for promoting the "historic recovery" of the United States from the COVID-19 epidemic. According to a speech to be delivered at a conference in Washington on Tuesday, Ms Yellen noted that the standoff between House Republicans and the White House over the debt ceiling "could threaten all the progress we have made over the past two years".