Despite vowing to make government more “efficient,” Donald Trump’s new administration has made it less effective and more expensive in countless ways.
Worse still, with his One Big Beautiful Bill, Trump has ushered in tax policies that are projected to drive up the nation’s ever-climbing debt. The total amount that Trump has ballooned the debt is unclear, although most estimates put it in the trillions. In his first term, Trump oversaw a deficit spike of nearly $8 trillion, according to one analysis, and some project that an additional $3.4 trillion has been added by the recent bill.
With that in mind, I guess it’s as good a time as any to remind everybody that there’s actually a way that everyday Americans can help fix America’s budgetary mess! Indeed, if you’re feeling generous, there’s a convenient program that lets you Venmo the government to help it pay off the enormous financial blackhole that keeps our country running.
Yes, a little-known U.S. Treasury Department program allows any U.S. citizen to send money to the federal government to help it cover its budgetary shortfalls. NPR’s Jack Corbett first noticed the program, dubbed “Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt,” and it has a webpage where you can send money to the U.S. government using a variety of methods, including Venmo, PayPal, and your old-school bank account. “Use this form for contributions to reduce the public debt,” the page reads, helpfully.
Super cool! Tax cuts for billionaires can blow up the debt, while you, a penny-pinching middle-class American suffering from rampant inflation, can help pay it off with all the extra cash in your bank account. What an efficient system!
The Trump administration was not the originator of this particular program. Indeed, it goes all the way back to 1961, as part of an effort to formalize gifts to pay off the national debt. In general, it does not seem to get a whole lot of contributions. NPR reports that, in 2022, it received about $1 million. In 2024, the federal government was spending $2 million per day on interest payments alone.
Little has changed about the increasing debt over the past couple of decades, but now you can lend a helping hand with the help of your favorite mobile payment service. With a little luck, this administration might embrace the future and allow you to send gifts with bitcoin before Trump’s out of office. If not, we have some campaign platform ideas for Elon Musk’s new third party.
Attention Patriots, You Can Help Pay Off the National Debt by Venmo-ing ‘Gifts’ to the Feds
