Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the United States will have three weeks more than previously planned before hitting its borrowing limit, giving the White House and Congress more time for a deal to raise the debt ceiling, Bloomberg reported.

The United States can borrow until August 2 after reaching the $14.29 trillion limit because of “stronger-than-expected tax receipts” and by taking “extraordinary measures” such as suspending the sales of bonds to finance state and local infrastructure projects, Geithner said in a letter to congressional leaders yesterday.

He previously said the deadline would be July 8. Without such measures, the legal limit will be reached May 16. The Treasury Department will take steps starting this week to provide additional borrowing room, he said.

Republicans have said they won’t vote to raise the debt limit unless President Barack Obama offers more spending cuts, but Geithner has warned that global investors will lose confidence in the United States if Congress waits too long to act.