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Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(133,367 posts)
Thu Jan 22, 2026, 08:37 PM 10 hrs ago

: The $38 trillion national debt will soon be growing faster than the U.S. economy itself, watchdog warns

The United States national debt has reached a precarious milestone, hitting 100% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and placing the nation on a trajectory that could trigger six distinct types of fiscal crises, according to an ominous new warning issued Thursday by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB).

With the national debt now effectively equal to the size of the entire U.S. economy, the nonpartisan watchdog’s latest report, “What Would a Fiscal Crisis Look Like?” outlined a dangerous future ahead. “If the national debt continues to grow faster than the economy,” the report said, “the country could ultimately experience a financial crisis, an inflation crisis, an austerity crisis, a currency crisis, a default crisis, a gradual crisis, or some combination of crises. Any of these would cause massive disruption and substantially reduce living standards for Americans and people across the world.”

The report warned that unless policymakers enact a “thoughtful pro-growth deficit reduction package,” disaster likely lies ahead.”The United States is deeply indebted, and its finances are on an unsustainable long-term trajectory,” the report concluded. While it’s “impossible” to know when disaster will strike, “some form of crisis is almost inevitable” without a course correction, the CRFB said.

The “Austerity Crisis”: Historic economic collapse
Among the most alarming scenarios detailed is the “Austerity Crisis.” In this potential future, a loss of market confidence would force lawmakers to enact abrupt, massive spending cuts or tax hikes to quell panic. While deficit reduction is necessary, the CRFB warned that rapid implementation of such austerity measures during a weak economy could trigger the worst economic contraction in nearly a century.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/form-crisis-almost-inevitable-38-180855339.html

Most of it incurred under Trump.

4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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: The $38 trillion national debt will soon be growing faster than the U.S. economy itself, watchdog warns (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin 10 hrs ago OP
Not to worry; if we ever have another Democratic president, Republicans will scream about the debt! Chasstev365 10 hrs ago #1
"pro growth" - they mean trickle down bucolic_frolic 10 hrs ago #2
The billionaires have been stealing our money since the 70s. Initech 10 hrs ago #3
Trump is over spending by trillions Johonny 10 hrs ago #4

Chasstev365

(7,239 posts)
1. Not to worry; if we ever have another Democratic president, Republicans will scream about the debt!
Thu Jan 22, 2026, 08:40 PM
10 hrs ago

bucolic_frolic

(54,251 posts)
2. "pro growth" - they mean trickle down
Thu Jan 22, 2026, 08:41 PM
10 hrs ago

All the money is in billionaires' bank accounts from the Trump Tax Cuts. Everyone else has no more blood money left to give.

Initech

(107,713 posts)
3. The billionaires have been stealing our money since the 70s.
Thu Jan 22, 2026, 08:48 PM
10 hrs ago

That is the big secret that they're not telling you about the economy. Our current system is completely unsustainable and is actively getting worse under this shitty administration.

And I don't know what can be done to begin reversing it.

Johonny

(25,623 posts)
4. Trump is over spending by trillions
Thu Jan 22, 2026, 09:05 PM
10 hrs ago

And not creating jobs. It's an amazing feat of total financial mismanagement. We should make the billionaires pay this cost in the future.

Eat the rich going to be more and more attractive...

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