我看不懂为什么国家债务不是当今联邦政客在国会中期选举前竞选期间辩论的头号议题。我们听到很多关于伊朗战争、汽油价格、总体通胀、哈桑·皮克尔对民主党的影响、移民政策和医疗保健的讨论。但如果联邦政府不控制债务，我们的国家将面临经济崩溃的巨大风险，届时这些议题都将被搁置。国家债务是国家安全问题，必须在为时已晚之前加以解决。多年来，联邦开支飙升，超过了收入。根据财政部数据，2025财年（去年9月30日结束）的开支将超过7万亿美元。将这个数字与疫情前2019财年5.6万亿美元的开支水平相比。占国内生产总值的百分比来看，联邦开支比例上升了2个百分点，达到23%。因此，这个经济体中近四分之一的开支来自一个靠借贷维持运转的政府。多年来出现的一个问题是，联邦政府在疫情期间从未停止过过度开支。2020财年，联邦开支达到8.2万亿美元，随后2021财年维持在8.1万亿美元。2022年后的第二年略有下降，但无论是总额还是占GDP的百分比，都从未降至疫情前的水平。一些政客已经注意到了这一点。德州共和党众议员奇普·罗伊去年在X上发帖称：“疫情前，政府开支为4.4万亿美元。六年后，我们的开支达到7万亿美元。为了让这个共和国继续屹立，政府的这种开支水平必须下降。”我的前老板、肯塔基州共和党参议员兰德·保罗最近在X上发帖称：“六年过去了，我们仍未回到疫情前的开支水平。”
I cannot understand why the national debt is not the number one issue being debated today by federal politicians when campaigning during the time before the midterm Congressional elections. We hear much discussion about the Iran War, gas prices, inflation in general, Hassan Piker’s influence on Democrats, immigration policy and health care. But our nation is a great risk of an economic meltdown that will sideline these issues if the federal government does not get its debt under control. Our national debt is a national security issue that must be addressed before it is too late. Our federal spending has soared over the years and outpaced revenue. According to the Department of Treasury, spending for fiscal 2025 (which ended last Sept. 30) will exceed $7 trillion. Compare that number to the pre-COVID level spending in fiscal 2019 that was $5.6 trillion. As a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, the percentage of federal spending has risen by 2 points to 23 percent. So almost one quarter of the spending in this economy comes from a government that borrows to make ends meet. One problem that has emerged over the years is that the federal government never stopped the excessive spending during the COVID years. In fiscal 2020, federal spending hit $8.2 trillion followed by fiscal 2021 where spending stayed at $8.1 trillion. It did come down a bit in the year following 2022, but has never lowered to the levels before COVID with regard to the top line number and percentage of GDP. Some politicians have noticed. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) posted on X last year, “Pre-COVID, the government spent $4.4 trillion. Six years later, we are spending $7 TRILLION. For this republic to continue standing, this level of spending from our government must decrease.” My former boss, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) posted on X recently, “6 years later, we still haven't returned to pre-COVID spending levels. How does that even make sense?” It makes no sense, because the American people have yet to rise up and elect politicians who make it a priority to cut federal spending. Cutting spending may seem difficult, yet getting back to pre-COVID level spending makes sense to most. Lack of taxation is not the problem. On the revenue side, again using government statistics, the federal government took in $4.9 trillion in 2025 versus $4.4 trillion in 2019. There is a big gulf between what the government takes in in taxes an spends. Taking more money from the American people will not solve the problem of increased government spending — it will merely give more money to bureaucrats to spend as they wish without consequences. The federal budget is a mess. When one looks at the budget for fiscal 2026, the second ranked spending program is interest on the debt. At 15 percent of the whole, that is less than outlays for Social Security, but it is larger than outlays for Medicare, health programs and national defense. For this year, it is estimated that the federal government will rack up $1 trillion in just interest on the national debt that just exceeded $40 trillion collectively for the first time in U.S. history. For those worried about government mandatory spending programs continuing, they will not continue if the federal government becomes insolvent. There are solutions, such as Paul’s Six Penny Plan. As the Mises Institute explains it, “Each year for the next five years, Congress would reduce the federal budget by six percent from the previous year's budget. In five years, the annual budget would be in balance, and the total federal debt will be on a path to being paid off.” The cuts are across the board, with each agency deciding where to make the cuts. The federal government’s spending plans should mirror the average American family's plan. Families spent far more and lost revenues during COVID, yet they still had to balance their family budgets. We should ask the same for the federal government. Left-leaning politicians will yell, “Tax The Rich!" as a solution. That will not not balance the budget, but it would serve to transform the U.S. into the very sort of socialist country innovators flee. It wll mean the next AI, iPhone or personal computer will be created in Singapore or some other nation that respects private property and the free market. During this debate to elect Members of Congress in the House and Senate, not much will be said of federal spending. Nobody will propose a plan to cut back on the size and scope of the federal government. We need more Rand Pauls and Chip Roys in the federal government who recognize that spending is a problem and are willing to do something about it. Brian Darling is former counsel to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
“这怎么讲得通？”这根本讲不通，因为美国民众尚未奋起选出那些将削减联邦开支作为优先事项的政客。削减开支看似困难，但恢复到疫情前的开支水平对大多数人来说是合情合理的。税收不足并非问题所在。在收入方面，再次引用政府统计数据，联邦政府2025年收入达4.9万亿美元，而2019年为4.4万亿美元。政府税收收入与支出之间存在巨大鸿沟。从美国人手中榨取更多钱财无法解决政府开支增加的问题——这只会给官僚更多钱供其随意挥霍而无需承担后果。联邦预算一团糟。审视2026财年预算，债务利息支出位列第二大支出项目。其占总预算的15%，虽低于社会保障支出，却高于医疗保险、健康项目和国防开支。据估计，仅今年联邦政府的国债利息支出就将达到1万亿美元，而国债总额刚刚历史性地首次突破40万亿美元大关。对于担心政府强制性支出项目能否持续的人来说，若联邦政府陷入资不抵债，这些项目将无法维持。解决方案存在，例如保罗的“六便士计划”。正如米塞斯研究所所解释：“在未来五年每年，国会将在上一年度预算基础上削减联邦预算的6%。五年后，年度预算将实现平衡，联邦债务总额将踏上偿还之路。”削减全面铺开，由各机构自行决定削减重点。联邦政府的支出计划应效仿美国普通家庭的理财计划。家庭在疫情期间支出大增且收入减少，却仍须量入为出、平衡家庭预算。
I cannot understand why the national debt is not the number one issue being debated today by federal politicians when campaigning during the time before the midterm Congressional elections. We hear much discussion about the Iran War, gas prices, inflation in general, Hassan Piker’s influence on Democrats, immigration policy and health care. But our nation is a great risk of an economic meltdown that will sideline these issues if the federal government does not get its debt under control. Our national debt is a national security issue that must be addressed before it is too late. Our federal spending has soared over the years and outpaced revenue. According to the Department of Treasury, spending for fiscal 2025 (which ended last Sept. 30) will exceed $7 trillion. Compare that number to the pre-COVID level spending in fiscal 2019 that was $5.6 trillion. As a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, the percentage of federal spending has risen by 2 points to 23 percent. So almost one quarter of the spending in this economy comes from a government that borrows to make ends meet. One problem that has emerged over the years is that the federal government never stopped the excessive spending during the COVID years. In fiscal 2020, federal spending hit $8.2 trillion followed by fiscal 2021 where spending stayed at $8.1 trillion. It did come down a bit in the year following 2022, but has never lowered to the levels before COVID with regard to the top line number and percentage of GDP. Some politicians have noticed. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) posted on X last year, “Pre-COVID, the government spent $4.4 trillion. Six years later, we are spending $7 TRILLION. For this republic to continue standing, this level of spending from our government must decrease.” My former boss, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) posted on X recently, “6 years later, we still haven't returned to pre-COVID spending levels. How does that even make sense?” It makes no sense, because the American people have yet to rise up and elect politicians who make it a priority to cut federal spending. Cutting spending may seem difficult, yet getting back to pre-COVID level spending makes sense to most. Lack of taxation is not the problem. On the revenue side, again using government statistics, the federal government took in $4.9 trillion in 2025 versus $4.4 trillion in 2019. There is a big gulf between what the government takes in in taxes an spends. Taking more money from the American people will not solve the problem of increased government spending — it will merely give more money to bureaucrats to spend as they wish without consequences. The federal budget is a mess. When one looks at the budget for fiscal 2026, the second ranked spending program is interest on the debt. At 15 percent of the whole, that is less than outlays for Social Security, but it is larger than outlays for Medicare, health programs and national defense. For this year, it is estimated that the federal government will rack up $1 trillion in just interest on the national debt that just exceeded $40 trillion collectively for the first time in U.S. history. For those worried about government mandatory spending programs continuing, they will not continue if the federal government becomes insolvent. There are solutions, such as Paul’s Six Penny Plan. As the Mises Institute explains it, “Each year for the next five years, Congress would reduce the federal budget by six percent from the previous year's budget. In five years, the annual budget would be in balance, and the total federal debt will be on a path to being paid off.” The cuts are across the board, with each agency deciding where to make the cuts. The federal government’s spending plans should mirror the average American family's plan. Families spent far more and lost revenues during COVID, yet they still had to balance their family budgets. We should ask the same for the federal government. Left-leaning politicians will yell, “Tax The Rich!" as a solution. That will not not balance the budget, but it would serve to transform the U.S. into the very sort of socialist country innovators flee. It wll mean the next AI, iPhone or personal computer will be created in Singapore or some other nation that respects private property and the free market. During this debate to elect Members of Congress in the House and Senate, not much will be said of federal spending. Nobody will propose a plan to cut back on the size and scope of the federal government. We need more Rand Pauls and Chip Roys in the federal government who recognize that spending is a problem and are willing to do something about it. Brian Darling is former counsel to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
我们对联邦政府也应提出同样的要求。左翼政客会高喊“向富人征税！”作为解决方案。这不仅无法平衡预算，反而会将美国变成那种创新者避之不及的社会主义国家。这意味着下一个人工智能、iPhone或个人电脑将诞生在新加坡或其他尊重私有财产和自由市场的国家。在这次国会参众两院议员的选举辩论中，关于联邦支出的讨论寥寥无几。没有人会提出削减联邦政府规模和职能的计划。我们需要更多像兰德·保罗（Rand Paul）和奇普·罗伊（Chip Roy）这样的人进入联邦政府，他们认识到支出是一个问题，并愿意为此采取行动。布莱恩·达林（Brian Darling）是肯塔基州共和党参议员兰德·保罗的前法律顾问。
I cannot understand why the national debt is not the number one issue being debated today by federal politicians when campaigning during the time before the midterm Congressional elections. We hear much discussion about the Iran War, gas prices, inflation in general, Hassan Piker’s influence on Democrats, immigration policy and health care. But our nation is a great risk of an economic meltdown that will sideline these issues if the federal government does not get its debt under control. Our national debt is a national security issue that must be addressed before it is too late. Our federal spending has soared over the years and outpaced revenue. According to the Department of Treasury, spending for fiscal 2025 (which ended last Sept. 30) will exceed $7 trillion. Compare that number to the pre-COVID level spending in fiscal 2019 that was $5.6 trillion. As a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, the percentage of federal spending has risen by 2 points to 23 percent. So almost one quarter of the spending in this economy comes from a government that borrows to make ends meet. One problem that has emerged over the years is that the federal government never stopped the excessive spending during the COVID years. In fiscal 2020, federal spending hit $8.2 trillion followed by fiscal 2021 where spending stayed at $8.1 trillion. It did come down a bit in the year following 2022, but has never lowered to the levels before COVID with regard to the top line number and percentage of GDP. Some politicians have noticed. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) posted on X last year, “Pre-COVID, the government spent $4.4 trillion. Six years later, we are spending $7 TRILLION. For this republic to continue standing, this level of spending from our government must decrease.” My former boss, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) posted on X recently, “6 years later, we still haven't returned to pre-COVID spending levels. How does that even make sense?” It makes no sense, because the American people have yet to rise up and elect politicians who make it a priority to cut federal spending. Cutting spending may seem difficult, yet getting back to pre-COVID level spending makes sense to most. Lack of taxation is not the problem. On the revenue side, again using government statistics, the federal government took in $4.9 trillion in 2025 versus $4.4 trillion in 2019. There is a big gulf between what the government takes in in taxes an spends. Taking more money from the American people will not solve the problem of increased government spending — it will merely give more money to bureaucrats to spend as they wish without consequences. The federal budget is a mess. When one looks at the budget for fiscal 2026, the second ranked spending program is interest on the debt. At 15 percent of the whole, that is less than outlays for Social Security, but it is larger than outlays for Medicare, health programs and national defense. For this year, it is estimated that the federal government will rack up $1 trillion in just interest on the national debt that just exceeded $40 trillion collectively for the first time in U.S. history. For those worried about government mandatory spending programs continuing, they will not continue if the federal government becomes insolvent. There are solutions, such as Paul’s Six Penny Plan. As the Mises Institute explains it, “Each year for the next five years, Congress would reduce the federal budget by six percent from the previous year's budget. In five years, the annual budget would be in balance, and the total federal debt will be on a path to being paid off.” The cuts are across the board, with each agency deciding where to make the cuts. The federal government’s spending plans should mirror the average American family's plan. Families spent far more and lost revenues during COVID, yet they still had to balance their family budgets. We should ask the same for the federal government. Left-leaning politicians will yell, “Tax The Rich!" as a solution. That will not not balance the budget, but it would serve to transform the U.S. into the very sort of socialist country innovators flee. It wll mean the next AI, iPhone or personal computer will be created in Singapore or some other nation that respects private property and the free market. During this debate to elect Members of Congress in the House and Senate, not much will be said of federal spending. Nobody will propose a plan to cut back on the size and scope of the federal government. We need more Rand Pauls and Chip Roys in the federal government who recognize that spending is a problem and are willing to do something about it. Brian Darling is former counsel to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).