Trump promised to eliminate the $19 trillion debt in eight years — and left it higher than he found it The Washington Post, 31 March 2016 interview
House Passes Gov’t Funding Bill That Does Nothing To Fix Debt Crisis‘So Rule is an issue’
Page F3From§Eachthe early bird edition — 1 September 2026
Congress funds government until December, averting shutdown, as debt crisis goes unfixed
Congress has passed another short-term funding bill, securing government operations until December and averting a shutdown before the midterms. The ledger shows a pattern: funds are appropriated, the shutdown is dodged, but the debt crisis remains untouched, unresolved, and unaddressed in the bill. The receipts from CBS, The Hill, and Daily Caller confirm the government is funded, but the crisis is noted as 'not fixed.' This is not a surprise, hon; it's institutional habit. The gap between what is allocated and what is owed widens, and each time the cycle repeats, the shortfall grows more precise. Congress keeps the doors open, but the bill for doing so comes due later, and the ledger never forgets. The beneficiaries are stability and incumbency, and the cost is deferred to taxpayers and future appropriators. In lieu of adjectives, here's the math: the government is open, the debt is open, and the next reckoning is penciled in for December. Page two will carry the detail, but the reconciliation is already in the numbers: funds in, crisis out, cycle repeats. The column gaps in the ledger are not a surprise; they're the norm, and the norm is what dies first. The question for the appropriators is never 'if' the crisis is fixed, but 'when,' and the receipts suggest 'not this round.'
“They keep the lights on for a few months, hon, but the bills just keep stacking up while the debt hole gets deeper. It's like patching the roof and ignoring the foundation—who pays when it caves in?”
“Look, the government funding bill is a responsible step that ensures stability and avoids unnecessary drama. Of course, it doesn't fix every little issue—wait, did I say 'little'? Well, the debt crisis is complicated, but the important thing is the government stays open, and that's a win. Isn't it?”
The receipts
The House on Tuesday voted to send a short-term extension of government funding to President Trump’s desk, avoiding a politically risky shutdown before the midterm elections. The continuing resolution (CR), which funds the government through Dec. 11, passed the House on a 370-48 vote, with 19 Republicans and 29 Democrats voting in…
The House on Tuesday passed a measure to extend government funding into December, averting a shutdown in the final stretch of the midterm campaign.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.