The Final Jeopardy! Answer: "What IS The Debt Limit?"

I don't like Fox (or as my friends call it, Faux) News, but I have to admit:  once in a while I feel they "dumb down" their approach for the RIGHT reasons -- because the population at large really IS that dumb, i.e. ignorant of the issues that surround us and of why they should know about them.  (Remember the old one-liner about "What's wrong with ignorance and apathy?"  "I don't know and I don't care!")  Anyway, on the opening to today's John Stossel show on Fox, they asked "What IS The Debt Limit?" and they actually interviewed The Man In The Street -- who, of course, didn't know what it is or why the politicians are fighting so hard over it.  (As we approach a relatively consensus-driven vote to pass a new ceiling, Chuck Schumer gave the soundbite to NY1 News, "I think people [in Congress] are relieved."  You think you're relieved?!?)

So -- "What IS The Debt Limit?" - and what I want is to hear EVERYONE WHO READS THIS weigh in: either "I don't know" or "It's..." and be as CONCISE as possible; I don't want to hear about "Reagan started this with..." or "Bush started letting the debt climb in 2004..." -- I want to hear "The Debt Limit is..." and IF you want to weigh in with "and this is why Congress has been so deadlocked over it" that's FANTASTIC -- but BE CONCISE.

Okay?  The Final Jeopardy! answer is...  "What IS The Debt Limit?"  What's the Final Jeopardy! QUESTION?  Weigh in with 30 seconds to go...