(The Hill) — The nation could lose its top credit rating from yet another rater over the next year if policymakers lose their grip on fiscal discipline, Moody’s Investors Service said Monday.

As financial markets struggled to digest the unprecedented downgrade of the U.S. credit rating by Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s issued a new report making clear that just because it still has America at a AAA grade, that status was far from a sure thing. In fact, Moody’s could also issue a downgrade before 2013 if the nation’s economy worsens or lawmakers lose their focus on getting the nation’s finances in order.

The firm said it would “closely monitor” progress in Washington when weighing the nation’s rating.

Moody’s quickly confirmed the nation’s top rating on the same day a deal was passed to raise the debt limit, but assigned a negative outlook to it in recognition of continued uncertainty about the reality of the government’s efforts to tackle its burgeoning debt. The third major rater, Fitch Ratings, similarly confirmed the top rating on that day.