Peter's Blog

The National Debt Doesn’t Matter?

The national debt stands at $30.3 trillion and the US government continues to run massive deficits. But does it really matter? Some people say that it doesn’t because “we just owe the debt to ourselves.”

Biggest Federal Budget Deficit Since July; This Is Bad News for the Fed

If you thought the federal government running a budget surplus in January was a sign that Washington D.C. was getting its fiscal house in order, you’re going to be disappointed. Uncle Sam ran the biggest deficit since last July in February.

A Monetary Jenga Game: SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap Feb. 4, 2022

With little fanfare, the national debt crossed the $30 trillion threshold this week. That is an unfathomable number. And as host Mike Maharrey explains in this week’s Friday Gold Wrap podcast, it’s worse than that. Most people aren’t concerned. Maharrey argues that they should be, likening the federal government’s borrow and spend policy to a […]

US National Debt Pushes Above $30 Trillion

On January 31, the national debt quietly eclipsed $30 trillion. The US government has run up debt at breakneck speed after raising the debt ceiling. The national debt broke through $29 trillion on Dec. 16. It took just 46 days for Uncle Sam to add another $1 trillion to his massive pile of debt. It […]

Despite Record Receipts Uncle Sam Still Ran a Budget Deficit in December

Despite a monthly record in receipts to the US Treasury, the federal government still managed to run a deficit in December. That’s because the federal government also broke a monthly spending record.

Biden Signs Massive Military Spending Bill – How Will They Pay for It?

President Joe Biden’s “build back better” spending bill seems to be dead — at least for the time being. But there is still plenty of spending coming down the pike. This raises an important question: how is the Federal Reserve going to simultaneously taper its bond-buying program and monetize all of this debt? On Monday, […]

Federal Spending Pandemic Continues Unabated

Even with the federal government ostensibly trying to limit spending with its head against the debt ceiling, it managed to run another massive deficit in November. The budget shortfall last month was $191.34 billion, according to the latest Treasury Department statement. That was 31.7% higher than the November 2021 deficit.

Starting With a Bang: US Government Kicks Off Fiscal 2022 With Another Massive Deficit

The US government started fiscal 2022 the same way it ended fiscal 2021 — spending itself into a massive budget shortfall. The budget deficit for October came in at $165.1 billion, according to the most recent monthly Treasury statement.

Fiscal Spending Up 18.7% MoM and 4.1% YoY

The federal budget deficit for September 2021 was $61.5 billion, down from the $171 billion in August. Even though the deficit fell 64% MoM, it was driven primarily by receipts. Spending was up 18.7% MoM but receipts were up 71.2% driven by a surge in corporate and individual taxes.

Feds Run Second-Biggest Budget Deficit in History; Spending Up from 2020 Record

The federal budget deficit for fiscal 2021 came in at $2.77 trillion. It was the second-largest deficit in US history, just behind last year’s $3.13 trillion shortfall. Despite falling shy of the deficit record, Uncle Sam spent even more money in 2021 than it did during the depths of the 2020 coronavirus recession.