In a move to modernize public contributions toward reducing the national debt, the U.S. Treasury Department has added PayPal and Venmo to its accepted payment methods under its long-standing “Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt” program.
Though the program has existed for decades, public awareness has been limited. That changed this week after a viral post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) drew attention to the new digital payment options. NPR producer Jack Corbett shared a screenshot with the caption: “You can Venmo the United States to help pay off the national debt.”
To donate, individuals can visit Pay.gov, navigate to the donation section for reducing public debt, and select from bank transfers, credit/debit cards, or now, Venmo and PayPal.
Despite the added convenience, experts note the symbolic nature of these donations in the face of America’s ballooning debt. Since 1996, total donations have amounted to just $67.3 million — the equivalent of roughly 20 minutes of interest on the current $36.7 trillion national debt, according to Axios.
As of Friday, July 26, the U.S. national debt stood at $36,721,531,033,603, an increase of over $34 billion from the previous day’s total. For context, the debt stood at $907 billion just four decades ago.
The outlook remains concerning. Economists continue to raise alarms over growing federal deficits and sustained high levels of government spending. The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, championed by former President Donald Trump, is projected by the Congressional Budget Office to add $3.4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. The Trump administration claims this will be offset by increased revenues from tariffs and accelerated economic growth.
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