# Congress spends $7 trillion. Here’s how that math works out if you think of just $100

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/congress-spends-7-trillion-heres-how-that-math-works-out-if-you-think-of-just-100/
- Published: 2026-09-08T13:00:57+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-08T13:33:28+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Far right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/congress-spends-7-trillion-heres-math-works-100
- Topics: Business, Government, Markets, Politics, World

## Key points

- US spent ~$7 trillion in FY2025 against $5.2 trillion revenue
- Roughly $14 of every $100 spent went on debt interest
- CBO projects interest costs will top $1 trillion in 2026

## Summary

An opinion piece in Fox News reframes the US federal budget by scaling 2025's roughly $7 trillion in spending down to a $100 bill, aiming to make the scale of government spending and borrowing more relatable to ordinary Americans. The author argues that the exercise exposes an unsustainable pattern: the government borrowed heavily to cover the gap between what it collected and what it spent, with a growing share of that spending going purely towards servicing existing debt rather than public services.

Of every $100 in federal spending in fiscal year 2025, about $23 went to Social Security, $26 to major health programmes such as Medicare and Medicaid, $13 to defence, and $14 to interest on the national debt, with the remainder covering veterans' benefits, education, transport and other programmes. Total spending reached roughly $7 trillion against revenues of about $5.2 trillion, leaving a deficit of around $1.8 trillion, meaning the government borrowed about $26 for every $100 it spent. The article notes that net interest costs, already around $970 billion, are projected by the Congressional Budget Office to exceed $1 trillion in 2026, and calls for an annual "receipt" showing taxpayers exactly how their money is spent and borrowed.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.