Ray Dalio warns of an 'economic heart attack' in the next 3 years if the US doesn't shrink the deficit

• Ray Dalio says the US has limited time before its fiscal situation becomes dire.
• The Bridgewater Associates founder says the US needs to reduce its deficit to 3% of GDP.
• While he thinks that's possible, he doesn't believe it is likely to happen in time.

Hedge fund icon Ray Dalio has been sounding the alarm on the US debt crisis for months, and he now sees a timeframe for when the fiscal situation could become dire.

In a post on X, rhe billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates invoked a phrase he's used before, predicting that the US is headed for an "economic heart attack" within three years unless action is taken soon.

In the post, he noted that he saw the "basic picture" as unchanged from when he made the prediction earlier this year, and that if the US did not reduce its deficit to 3% of GDP soon, the risk of an "economic heart attack" would be high.

Despite this grim outlook, Dalio added that he believed the necessary cuts were possible. "If we change spending and income (tax returns) by 4% while the economy is still good, the interest rate will go down as a result and we'll be in a much better situation," he stated.

Dalio cited the market period between 1991 and 1999 as an example of economic balance, framing it as the reason he believes deficit cuts can effectively address the fiscal problems.

Whether the necessary cuts will actually happen, though, is another question. Dalio said that he isn't optimistic, predicting economic and political hurdles to the necessary action.

"My fear is that we will probably not make these needed cuts due to political reasons" he said, and "will have even more debt and debt service encroaching on our spending that will ultimately lead to a serious supply-demand problem."

In June, Dalio speculated that "spiraling US debt levels" could lead to a financial crisis, offering strategies for investors to guard against it.

He also revealed a strong skepticism that US politicians can reach a bipartisan solution, even if it means opting against a more balanced solution.

"Lower interest rates would help reduce the budget deficit as well as help the markets and the economy," he stated on X. "But because politics have become so absolutist, they feel they can't go down this obviously best path."