In February 1993, weeks into Bill Clinton’s presidency, James Carville famously quipped: “I used to think if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the president or the pope or a .400 baseball hitter. But now I want to come back as the bond market. You can intimidate everybody.” What Carville was referring
President Donald Trump’s pledge to send every American adult a $5,000 check if Republicans hold Congress in November carries a price tag that economists say has no clear funding source — and would land on a federal balance sheet already strained by a nearly $2 trillion annual deficit. Kent Smetters, faculty director of the Penn Wharton
President Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, an extraordinary gambit to reverse his party’s sagging fortunes in November. The dubious promise would most likely cost more than $1 trillion and require congressional approval, and would further exacerbate the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion
The federal interest burden has reached a new height, exceeding even the 1991 record, but analysts warn the risks associated with servicing the ever-growing national debt today are much higher than they were 35 years ago, analysts warn. A recent analysis from investment management firm Doubleline noted that in 2025, the federal net interest payment
Unlike in the U.S., candidates in France’s election have actually focused on how to tackle the national debt, as a new president is due to take charge of the eurozone’s second largest economy next year. Last month, a French presidential debate was dominated by the country’s rising public debt. By contrast, midterm election races in the U.S.
Among the many potential downsides for letting the national debt get too high was that the federal government would suck up so much capital that businesses wouldn’t be left with enough. Today, U.S. debt is at $40 trillion, the federal budget deficit is on track to reach $2 trillion this fiscal year, and debt servicing