Peter's Blog

Thomas Jefferson’s Blueprint for Handling the National Debt

The way Thomas Jefferson handled the national debt should serve as a blueprint for today. But instead, modern presidents look more like college students on a spending spree with their first credit cards.

Fiscal 2023 Budget Deficit Already Approaching a Half-Trillion Dollars

Just four months into fiscal 2023 and the US federal budget deficit is already approaching half a trillion dollars. This is a big problem for the Federal Reserve that few people seem to be talking about.

Budget Deficit YoY: Revenues Fall as Expenses Rise

The Federal Government ran a deficit of -$39B in January. While that may not seem like much, it looks worse when compared to the average January.

A Dog and Pony Show: SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap Jan. 20, 2023

Pop some popcorn and get ready for the next political dog and pony show. The US government bumped up against its statutory borrowing limit this week. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap podcast, host Mike Maharrey talks about the looming debt ceiling fight and the deeper problems that will inevitably get ignored as […]

Here We Go Again! It’s Time for Another Debt Ceiling Fight

Here we go again. The clock is ticking down to another US debt ceiling fight. According to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, the US government will officially bump up against the debt ceiling Thursday (Jan. 19).

US Monthly Budget Deficit Up 299% Year on Year in December

The US government ran an $85 billion budget deficit in December, according to the Monthly Treasury Department Statement. That was much lower than November’s massive $248.5 billion shortfall, but don’t be deceived by the drop. December is typically a low deficit month. The relatively big shortfall indicates the federal government is on a trajectory to […]

Budget Deficit Exceeds $1.4T in 2022

The Federal Government ran a deficit of -$85B in December. While this was much smaller than the deficit posted in November, it marks one of the largest December deficits ever.  That pushed then 2022 calendar year deficit to over $1.4 trillion.

Big Spending Bill Is a Big Problem for the Fed’s Inflation Fight

Just before Christmas, Congress passed a massive omnibus spending bill. This is yet another blow to the Federal Reserve’s feckless fight against inflation.

US Government Runs Another Massive Budget Deficit; This Is Bad News for the Fed Inflation Fight

The US government ran a massive $248.5 billion deficit in November, according to the latest Monthly Treasury Statement. There was only one month in fiscal 2022 with a bigger budget shortfall. This is bad news for the Federal Reserve as it tries to raise interest rates and shrink its balance sheet to fight price inflation.

More of the Same: US Government Starts Fiscal 2023 With a Big Budget Deficit

After running a $1.3 trillion deficit in fiscal 2022, the US government took up right where it left off to start fiscal 2023 — running a big budget deficit. The October budget deficit came in at $87.8 billion despite another month of healthy government receipts, according to the latest Treasury statement.