TED'S TAKE: THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS WE NEED TO ANSWER

 Today ,we face a massive national debt – $36 trillion – regularly spending more as a country than we take in. This is unsustainable and more importantly unbearable for future taxpayers. But to better understand our nation’s finances and debt, there are four important questions we need to answer.

1)  Does the Federal government/budget actually pay interest in cash each year on the money it borrows from the Old Age Survivors and Disability (OASDI) Trust Fund (the Social Security Trust Fund) and Medicare Trust Fund? OR does the Federal government merely leave an IOU in that fund effectively borrowing that money?

2)  At what rate does the government borrow such money and who sets that rate for either the money paid back or value of the IOU?

3)  How much has the Federal government borrowed from the OASDI and Medicare Trust Funds as of 2025?

4)  Is the money due to the OASDI and Medicare Trust Funds included in the current $36 trillion national debt?

These answers can help Americans better understand the challenges our country faces and inform debate on the U.S. debt situation.