With growth stalled, the pressure is on governments across Europe, not just ones using the single currency, to cut spending in order to meet debt obligations.
Regardless, the economy appears to have stalled, putting pressure on Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to provide additional stimulus and on President Obama to deliver leadership and get the economy moving. (Read Deeply Divided Fed As Some Raise Stop Signs While Other Push For More QE).
The pressure from regulators was so strong at one point last fall that Bank of America stalled foreclosures in order to re-examine the way it was handling the process.
But momentum on federal legislation has stalled in Congress, and President Barack Obama has planned a trip to Connecticut on Monday to step up pressure to pass a bill.