WASHINGTON Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said on Friday that the U.S. government does not have the capability to "triage" payment priorities if the debt ceiling is not raised, adding that invoking the 14th amendment to issue debt will not solve the government's challenges.

Speaking on CNN as the White House and congressional Republicans neared an agreement that would cap spending and raise the borrowing cap, Adeyemo said: "I don't have any confidence that we have the ability to be able to do a type of prioritization that will mean that all seniors, all veterans, all Americans get paid."

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and David Lawder; Editing by Doina Chiacu)