The author is not saying the emergency fund is used for paying off debt. The point is that the emergency fund is supposed to be sufficient during the entire pr

The author is not saying the emergency fund is used for paying off debt. The point is that the emergency fund is supposed to be sufficient during the entire process of paying off debt, which might be years. If you have more than a $1000 emergency during that time, you have to fall back on credit. I’d argue the 1000$ number should vary with inflation and cost of living. Having a $2000 or $3000 emergency fund could make sense for a lot of people.