In today’s hyper-politicized climate, Congress has basically become a forum for petty partisan fights that dominate headlines, generate clicks, and go viral on Twitter. Unsurprisingly, this means Democrats and Republicans don’t agree on much, but if there’s one thing both parties support, it’s spending more of our money. And with a two-year budget deal passing the Senate on Thursday, they’ve done just that once again.
The national debt has exceeded $22.5 trillion and shows no signs of slowing down. To put that number in perspective, one trillion seconds is 31,709 years, and 22 trillion pennies stacked on top of each other would stretch well past the moon. This debt figure is even more incredible given that, just 20 years ago, a Democratic president and Republican Congress were able to balance the budget four years in a row.
