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National debt

U.S. debt is hitting historic heights. How much of a problem is that?

by David Brancaccio , Candace Manriquez Wrenn , Erika Soderstrom and Alex Schroeder
Sep 3, 2020
The last time the deficit was this high, as a percentage of the total economy, was 1946.
A national debt counter from mid-June. The U.S. is approaching a position it has not seen since World War II, as the amount of government debt is on pace to exceed the size of the nation's economy.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
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Kai Explains

What's behind the national debt?

by Andie Corban and Kai Ryssdal
Jun 17, 2020
We look into how the government borrows money and what it means in the long run.
Then-Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen testifies before the House Financial Services Committee in 2016. The national debt has since passed $26 trillion.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Stimulus without debt?

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Mar 18, 2020
If policymakers are too preoccupied with debt to provide the country the stimulus it needs, some economists say: Do it without debt.
Can the government just print more money to stimulate the economy?
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Shelf Life

How George Washington would respond to today's national debt

by Andie Corban
Feb 17, 2020
The first president warned the country against accumulating national debt. Today the U.S. owes over $23 trillion.
George Washington has appeared on the one dollar bill since 1869.
Alex Wong/Getty Images
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Kai Explains

Breaking down the national debt and budget deficit

by Daisy Palacios and Kai Ryssdal
Oct 1, 2019
It's a new fiscal year for America. Let's look at our debt.
The National Debt Clock, a billboard-sized digital display showing the increasing U.S. debt, in New York City in 2011.
Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images
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Should you worry about the national debt?

by Paulina Velasco
Feb 16, 2018
We have short-term focus but a long-term problem.
Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney testifies before the Senate Budget Committee Tuesday on the 2019 budget proposal released the day before.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
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The GOP tax plan just got more expensive

by Kimberly Adams
Nov 8, 2017
A new estimate by the Congressional Budget Office says the plan could add $1.7 trillion to the deficit
Committee chairman Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) and ranking member Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) confer with aides before the start of a House Ways and Means Committee hearing concerning the Trump administration's fiscal year 2018 budget proposals, on Capitol Hill, May 24, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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Weekly Wrap

Weekly wrap: Finding a silver lining in the jobs report

by Kai Ryssdal
May 6, 2016
Nela Richardson and Sudeep Reddy join Kai to recap the week that was.
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Final Note

A first: National debt passes $18 trillion

by Kai Ryssdal
Dec 2, 2014
That's twelve zeros.
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That one time when U.S. debt was zero

by Kai Ryssdal
Jan 7, 2014
Economic historian John Steele Gordon describes the only time in American history that a president erased the federal debt.
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