National Debt

The U.S. national debt has surpassed $40 trillion for the first time

This marks an historic milestone in a borrowing buildup that has accumulated over generations, through wars, recessions, tax changes, and the expansion of major federal benefit programs under presidents of both parties.

The Treasury Department reported that total public debt outstanding reached about $40.047 trillion Tuesday, according to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

The number is striking, but the more significant measure for economists is debt held by the public — money the federal government owes to investors and other entities outside the federal government.

That figure is approaching the size of the entire U.S. economy, with publicly held debt already exceeding 100% of gross domestic product, according to the Journal.

The $40 trillion figure represents the cumulative result of decades of federal borrowing rather than the policies of any single administration. The United States has carried debt since its founding, when the young nation borrowed heavily to finance the Revolutionary War.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has set a goal of reducing the federal deficit to 3% of GDP by 2028.

Read more about our debt

Sustained Economic Pressure on Iran

Iran Will Face 'Most Crushing Economic Operation' Ever

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced what he called the “most crushing economic operation ever taken against any country,” warning that nations, financial institutions, and businesses that help Iran could face severe economic consequences.

“I AM ANNOUNCING THE MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, according to Reuters.

Trump said the effort would amount to an “ECONOMIC D-DAY” and warned countries against providing Iran with a financial lifeline.

“I am also announcing that any country that allows its financial institutions, businesses, etc. to provide any lifeline to Iran will itself face TREMENDOUS Economic Consequences,” Trump said, according to Reuters.

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Texas and Florida - Unprecedented Economic Growth

Texas and Florida are leading in tort reform, Boom Belt success

Texas and Florida are leading in tort reform, bringing more business and economic growth to southern Boom Belt states, the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute (TCCRI) and The James Madison Institute (JMI) argue.

TCCRI was founded in 1996 by a group of state leaders determined to implement conservative public policies in state government based on the principles of limited government, individual liberty, free enterprise and traditional values. Florida-based JMI is dedicated to the ideals of limited government, economic freedom, federalism and individual liberty coupled with individual responsibility.

Their new joint report argues, “Texas’ and Florida’s economic dominance is the direct result of multi-decade efforts to create a predictable civil justice environment. These reforms spurred the business investment, population growth, and capital inflows that define the Boom Belt.”

They also argue this competitive edge “is under threat” by trial lawyer organizations. In Florida, the Florida Justice Association is targeting pro-business politicians to unseat in state legislative races, the JMI argues.

In Texas, plaintiff-aligned groups are funding candidates and PACs to weaken reforms the state legislature has implemented, TCCRI argues.

Read more about our success...

Florida ranks first in Economic Performance

Florida ranks as one of strongest state economies in new report

Florida ranked as one of the country’s highest-performing state economies in the latest “Rich States, Poor States” report, placing first in the report’s backward-looking Economic Performance Ranking and 10th in its forward-looking Economic Outlook Ranking.

Published by the American Legislative Exchange Council, the report measures economic performance using three indicators over the past decade: state gross domestic product growth, non-farm payroll employment growth and absolute domestic migration.

On the backward-looking measure, Florida finished first overall. The state ranked first in absolute domestic migration with a net gain of 2,512,566 residents, third in cumulative state GDP growth at 98.30% and fourth in cumulative non-farm payroll employment growth at 24.49%.

Those results put Florida ahead of Arizona, which ranked second overall, Idaho, which ranked third, Utah, which ranked fourth, and Nevada, which ranked fifth in the performance index.

The report’s data suggests Florida’s top overall finish was driven by strength across all three categories rather than by a single outlier metric, with especially strong in-migration figures distinguishing it from most other states.

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"Too Late" Jerome Powell should leave at end of Fed Term

Jerome Powell Doubles Down On Past Rate Mistakes

By Peter Navarro
March 19, 2026

In holding rates steady, Jerome Powell—the worst Fed Chair since Arthur Burns—has once again let his anti-Trump animus cloud his judgment. The damage will not show up only on Wall Street.

It will show up in the monthly payment on a starter home, the financing costs of a machine-tool purchase, the builder who delays a project, the manufacturer who shelves an expansion, and the family that watches its credit costs stay painfully high while the Powell Fed congratulates itself for being “disciplined.”

This is not just a spiteful and damaging policy mistake. It is a fundamental misreading of the economy.

Powell continues to act as if inflation is broad-based, demand-driven, and on the verge of reaccelerating. Powell has clearly signaled his intention to remain on the Board of Governors even after his term as Chair expires.

This is nothing more than a Powell extortion expedition for a “plea deal”—having possibly acted above the law, he is trying to evade any possible accountability by conditioning his departure on the Department of Justice dropping its probe of Powell.

Read the article by Peter Navarro

It's the Economy, Stupid

Bill Clinton won on that observation!

Susie Wiles Packed a Room With Cabinet Secretaries and What She Told Them Should Have Democrats Terrified

Biden spent three years swearing the economy was great and voters were just too dumb to see it.

That message bombed so spectacularly that Democrats lost the White House, the Senate, and any claim to understanding how normal Americans live.

Now Trump's team just held a meeting that proves they learned exactly the right lesson – and what came out of that room five days before the State of the Union should keep Chuck Schumer up at night.

The economy is THE issue. Not immigration. Not foreign policy. Not Epstein. Not January 6. The economy.

Tonight President Trump stands before a joint session of Congress for his first official 2026 State of the Union of his second term. Trump walks in with unified Cabinet, tested economic messaging, and 25 slides of voter data behind him. Democrats are boycotting rather than answering.

That's not a resistance strategy – that's a forfeit.

Our Economy is perfect

'Perfect Trump economy': Peter Navarro says 'everything is hitting on all major cylinders, and the best is yet to come'

'It's probably one of the best years in modern American economic history.

Not hyperbole, that's what the data is telling us'

Appearing on "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel, Peter Navarro, senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, highlighted economic successes in the first year of Trump taking the helm from the high-inflation era of Joe Biden.

"It's the perfect Trump economy in 2026. It's what we call the Goldilocks economy," said Navarro, alluding to conditions being just right from the children's story of that title.

"The last time we saw what we're seeing now was 1998. We're seeing the stock market over 50,000 Dow, that's Wall Street. But we're also seeing rising real wages. That's Main Street."

"This is happening because of tariffs not in spite of them."

Read World Net Daily

As an aside, Bill Clinton was President in 1998 and his administration oversaw a significant period of peacetime economic growth and the first federal budget surplus in decades. We were actually in the Black.

GDP grows beyond earlier estimates

Atlanta Fed Nearly Doubles Q4 Growth Estimate to 5.4 Percent After Strong Data

Stronger economic data and delayed releases point to more robust U.S. growth momentum toward the end of the year

U.S. economic growth prospects received a fresh boost this week as the Atlanta Federal Reserve nearly doubled its estimate for fourth-quarter output after a raft of strong data, while Fitch Ratings lifted its projections for full-year 2025 and 2026 growth after delayed government releases showed firmer economic momentum.

The Atlanta Fed’s closely watched GDPNow model lifted its estimate of fourth-quarter real gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 5.4 percent on Jan. 8, up from 2.9 percent a day earlier, after incorporating new data on trade, consumer spending, and services activity.

Separately, Fitch said on Jan. 8 that delayed economic releases revealed firmer momentum in the second half of 2025 than previously assumed, prompting upward revisions to its medium-term growth forecasts.

Geiger Capital described the Atlanta Fed’s upgrade as a “massive expansion” largely attributable to the narrowing trade deficit, with new data released on Jan. 8 by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showing that America’s trade gap shrank to its lowest level in 16 years.

Read the rest of the data

The Atlanta Fed's GDPNow model offers good short-term accuracy, generally improving as the quarter progresses, with historically low errors pre-pandemic (around 0.5 ppt absolute error) and slightly higher post-pandemic (closer to 0.77 ppt average error)

98 Minnesota mayors write letter to Tampon Tim

Minnesota mayors blast state leaders over alleged fiscal mismanagement

Minnesota taxpayers, because nearly 100 mayors are sounding the alarm on state policies they say are bleeding local communities dry.

Ninety-eight mayors, led by Crosslake Mayor Jackson Purfeerst, have penned a scathing letter to Gov. Tim Walz and state lawmakers, blaming St. Paul’s fiscal missteps for soaring property taxes, strained public safety resources, and stalled infrastructure projects, as Just the News reports.

For hardworking homeowners across the state, this isn’t just a political spat -- it’s a direct hit to their bank accounts with preliminary data showing potential city levy hikes of up to 8.7% in 2026, driven by state mandates and cost shifts.

These increases, paired with county levies possibly rising by 8.1%, mean real financial burdens for families already stretched thin. From a conservative lens, this smells like government overreach, and no one in St. Paul should dodge scrutiny over how we got here.

The mayors didn’t hold back in their critique, stating, “Fraud, unchecked spending, and inconsistent fiscal management in St. Paul have trickled down to our cities -- reducing our capacity to plan responsibly, maintain infrastructure, hire and retain employees, and sustain core services without overburdening local taxpayers,” as per the letter signed by all 98.

That’s a polite way of saying the state’s mess is now the cities’ problem, and taxpayers are left footing the bill.

Read more...

Trump batting average

Farmers Face Extinction-Level Crisis

Tom Cotton Just Revealed Biden’s Economic Time Bomb That’s Still Destroying Trump’s Farmers

Joe Biden left office ten months ago. But his economic destruction keeps claiming victims across rural America.

And Tom Cotton just revealed Biden's economic time bomb that's still destroying Trump's farmers. Senator Tom Cotton stood on the Senate floor and delivered a warning that should terrify every American who eats food.

Arkansas farmers are staring down losses of hundreds of dollars per acre this year on soybeans, corn, cotton, and long-grain rice crops. The devastation is historic.

Arkansas cash crop receipts will plummet by $617 million in 2025 alone. That's over half a billion dollars evaporating from one state's farm economy in a single year — and it's happening on Trump's watch because Biden's policies are still wreaking havoc.

Cotton revealed the ugly truth about Biden's economic legacy. Here's what the media won't tell you about why farms are still collapsing ten months after Biden left.

• His disastrous economic policies created delayed-action destruction that Trump inherited.
• Biden attacked American energy production on Day One of his presidency in January 2021.
• Gas prices soared. Diesel costs exploded. Every input farmers need became dramatically more expensive.
• Then Biden unleashed the worst inflation crisis in 40 years.
• The Federal Reserve responded by doubling interest rates while government spending ballooned out of control.

Those crushing interest rates farmers locked in during 2023-2024? They're still choking operations to death in 2025.

The Senator didn't mince words about who created this disaster.

"Thanks to former President Joe Biden's disastrous economic policies, farmers across America are faced with rising input costs, low commodity prices and high borrowing costs," Cotton wrote.

Read more about it...

Penny For Your Thoughts

America buries the penny after decades of costly nostalgia

"The U.S. retires the penny after 232 years, ending a costly tradition and marking a rare step toward fiscal sanity.

A penny could never buy you much, but what it lacked in economic prowess, it held an outsized place in Americana, instantly recognizable both physically and symbolically. Pennies were tucked in every pocket, scattered under couch cushions, and immortalized in Ben Franklin’s wisdom of “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Words that were a creed of a simpler time that leaves behind only nostalgia for a coin that could never buy much, but embodied thrift and austerity.

We have traded nostalgia for necessity. But in that trade, something tender slips away.In its place, we gain efficiency, fiscal restraint, and a currency system that reflects reality rather than melancholy, underscoring that sometimes, the smallest change makes the biggest difference.

Critics argue that ending the minting of the penny expunges a piece of American life. Symbolic gestures should not come at a nine-figure annual cost. The Treasury’s decision underscores fiscal responsibility, as the government should not spend more to make money than the money is worth.

The penny will live on as a collector’s item, a teaching tool, and a nostalgic artifact. There are 240 billion in circulation, so it’s not going anywhere too soon. Its image of Lincoln remains iconic, and its role in American lore is secure.

But coins are meant to circulate, not linger as artifacts in our pockets and mason jars tucked away in a closet. The Treasury’s decision acknowledges that currency must serve the economy, not sentiment.

The penny may be gone, but its mythology still jingles. Saving pennies seems almost pointless in our seemingly cashless world. At one time, we were “in for a penny, in for a pound,” but that pound costs a pretty penny, and the old adage asking for a “penny for your thoughts” now comes with a subscription fee.

A hard job was “working for pennies,” while someone who was tight with their spending was a “penny pincher.” Some complain they don’t have “a penny to their name” but still maintain their oversized morning latte.

Such a legacy reminds us that even in a world moving toward a cashless society, irony still holds value, especially when there are plenty of puns to spend my two cents on with no change required." [Greg Maresca-Substack]

Bureau of Labor Statistics releases data

US Economy Created 119,000 New Jobs in September, Topping Market Estimates

The latest nonfarm payrolls report is the first monthly jobs data since August

“As a result, the establishment survey collection rate (80.2 percent) for this initial release of September 2025 data is higher than usual,” the BLS stated.

Health care led payroll gains, adding 43,000 jobs in September, and was followed by food services and drinking places (37,000) and social assistance (14,000), according to the Nov. 20 report.

Federal government employment maintained its downward trend, sliding by 3,000 jobs. In total, federal payrolls are down by 97,000 jobs this year.

Wage growth was mixed in September, with average hourly earnings rising by 0.2 percent and remaining unchanged year over year at 3.8 percent, according to the BLS report.

The labor force participation rate edged up to 62.4 percent, with average weekly hours remaining flat at 34.2. Full-time employment perked up in September, surging by 673,000. Conversely, part-time work in September declined by 573,000.

Stocks rocketed following the September jobs report. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average and the tech-driven Nasdaq Composite Index surged by about 400 points. The broader S&P 500 climbed by almost 100 points, or 1.5 percent.

The government shutdown—the longest on record—prevented federal agencies from collecting and reporting key economic data, including the employment situation.

Read more at The Epoch Times

$2,000 Tariff checks next year?

Bessent Suggests Americans Save $2,000 Tariff Checks When Asked About Inflation

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that Americans save the proposed $2,000 tariff checks rather than spend the money to avoid inflationary effects.

Bessent made the comments on Fox News when asked by host Bret Baier whether sending the checks to most Americans would increase inflation.

"Maybe we could persuade Americans to save that, because one of the things that's going to happen next year" is the start of "Trump Accounts" to save for kids, Bessent replied.

Bessent was referring to a House GOP proposal backed by President Donald Trump that would create tax-deferred investment accounts — coined "Trump Accounts" — for babies born in the U.S. over the next four years, starting them each with $1,000.

At age 18, they could withdraw the money to put toward a down payment for a home, education, or to start a small business. Individuals can contribute to the account until the year the beneficiary turns 18. The maximum annual contribution will generally be $5,000 and this amount will be indexed to inflation beginning in 2028.

Trump on Monday said he wants to issue tariff checks to "moderate income, middle income" Americans by mid-2026.

William Dickens, a professor emeritus of economics and public policy at Northeastern University, says $2,000 "would help support the economy" if the U.S. were to enter a recession and would have little to no impact on prices.

Read more...

Trump’s instincts about fake jobs numbers proved dead-on accurate

One decision by Donald Trump just revealed the biggest economic lie Biden ever told

The Biden administration spent years bragging about their supposedly booming job market.

Democrats and their media allies constantly told Americans the economy was doing great under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

But one decision by Donald Trump just revealed the biggest economic lie Biden ever told.

Back in August, President Trump made what seemed like a routine personnel decision that sent shockwaves through Washington, D.C.

He fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Biden-appointed Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after she delivered an abysmal July jobs report showing only 73,000 jobs created.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics just dropped a bombshell that validates everything Trump suspected about Biden’s phony economic record.

According to a new preliminary report released Tuesday, the labor market created 911,000 fewer jobs than initially reported between April 2024 and March 2025.

Read more...

Reuters take on the Economy this week

YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - DOW ended slightly lower on Friday

Bank shares were among those taking the biggest hit, with the S&P 500 bank index (.SPXBK), opens new tab ending 2.4% lower.

However, Broadcom (AVGO.O), opens new tab shares rose 9.4%, helping to offset market losses, a day after the chipmaker unveiled a $10 billion artificial intelligence chip order from a new customer and forecast fourth-quarter revenue above estimates.

The U.S. economy created 22,000 jobs last month instead of an estimated 75,000, confirming softening labor market conditions, according to the Labor Department report. Part of the problem in fewer jobs being created in the U.S. is due to a combination of factors, including the Federal Reserve's efforts to combat inflation through higher interest rates. And of course, there are fewer illegals working.

 
The three major U.S. stock indexes initially rose and broke records following the data, as traders of futures tied to the Fed's policy rate boosted bets that the U.S. central bank will trim rates in quick succession, starting this month, with a 50-basis-point easing now on the table.

"It's going to take more than one bad data set for us to dislodge this market at this point," said Pete Mulmat, CEO of IG North America, parent company of tastytrade, in Chicago.

For the week, the Dow fell 0.3%, the S&P 500 gained 0.3% and the Nasdaq rose 1.1% and Democrats continue to scream like crazy as they blame Trump Tariffs on everything lately.

 
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Trump's Tariffs

Trump's Tariff Revenues Are Hitting Record Highs in 2025

Tariff revenues have soared to a record-breaking $113 billion during the current fiscal year — the highest ever recorded — as President Donald Trump continues ramping up trade duties on major global economies.

According to the Treasury Department’s latest “Customs and Certain Excise Taxes” data, the U.S. collected over $27 billion in customs duties in June alone. That marks the single highest monthly total this year and a stunning 301% increase compared to June of last year.

Tariff collections have been rising steadily throughout the year. In January, the government brought in about $7.9 billion. By April, that number had already more than doubled to $16.3 billion. July appears poised to continue the trend, with more tariff revenue rolling in.

🚨 BREAKING: Trump’s tariffs just did something Washington said was impossible:

The U.S. posted a BUDGET SURPLUS in June!
👉 $27 billion
👉 First June surplus since Trump’s first term
👉 Driven by a 301% surge in tariff revenue

Read more...

The annual inflation rate, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), is currently around 2.7%, says the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee. While short-term fluctuations are expected, the long-term core inflation rate is projected to remain around 2.60%, according to Trading Economics. Jerome Powell could help this along by lowering inerest rates.

Investment in U.S. is at an all time high

Another Trump win

Giant Tech to pump 100 billion Into U.S. Economy

Apple plans to invest an additional $100 billion in the United States, bringing its total U.S. commitment to $600 billion over the next four years, a White House official said Wednesday.

President Donald Trump made the official announcement from the Oval Office highlighting the latest achievement of his “America First” economic agenda.

“President Trump’s America First economic agenda has secured trillions of dollars in investments that support American jobs and bolster American businesses,” White House Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers said. “The announcement with Apple is another win for our manufacturing industry.”

Read more...

But the Democrats just want to concentrate on Lies and Hoaxes.

Today's Important News

Economy grew 2nd Quarter

US Economy Surges 3 Percent in 2nd Quarter, Tops Market Estimates

‘Early signs for the third quarter are pointing up,’ said one bank’s chief economist

Economists had penciled in a 2.4 percent expansion.

This growth, reported by the Commerce Department, exceeded economists' expectations and marked a significant turnaround from the first quarter's 0.5% decline.

The growth was partly fueled by a decrease in imports, which are subtracted from GDP, after businesses front-loaded purchases in the first quarter ahead of tariffs.

Read about it...