National Debt: Anonymous Person Donates $2.2 Million, Says Treasury

The national debt was down $2.2 million, thanks to an anonymous donation made to the U.S. Treasury Department to help pay off the gigantic debt in September, 2015.

USA Today reports that a total of $2.3 million was donated in the last month of the 2015 fiscal year. In total, $3.9 million was donated to reduce the national debt, but that single donation of $2.2 million was record breaking. A previous donation of $2.1 million was the previous record-holder.

Officials from the Treasury Department would not provide any details about the person who made the staggering donation to reduce the national debt. The person will likely remain anonymous.

Even with such a large donation, the millions given to the government barely put a dent in the stifling national debt. In fact, the grand national debt totals at $18.6 trillion and growing, according to Treasury Direct. However, there are hopeful citizens out there who sometimes donate even spare change to try and make a difference in their country’s finances.

The Public Debt Reduction Fund is an account the Treasury Department holds which takes donations online, from the IRS, and through donations made to the Bureau of Public Debt in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The donations are tax-deductible and can be made by just about anyone.

Some people donate each time they receive a paycheck, and others donate once a year. Some only donate a few cents here and there. Others donate more significantly. However, the national debt still grows without signs of slowing down.

Several people in Congress have suggested that tax-return forms include options for people to easily donate money to contribute to reduce the national debt, but the Treasury Department believes it will become too complicated and will not include the option on the forms so far.

According to USA Today, now that the Treasury is running on deficits, the money donated really doesn’t go to reduce the national debt. Now, the money is used to pay the government’s expenses. When a person thinks of government expenses, they may not think of such things as measuring duck genitalia and whether gaydar exists. However, these studies did contribute to the national debt in 2013, according to InfoWars.

Thankfully, some public servants are concerned with the way the U.S. spends money and how they are involved in the process. Several members of Congress donate money to reduce the national debt. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-N.Y., donates his entire Army pension every month in order to reduce the national debt.

According to press secretary Matt Sheehey, “He donates his military pension, so he is not — to use the term we use in New York — double-dipping. It’s cumbersome. He has no choice but to write a check and deliver it manually every month.”

The national debt has been a hot topic as aspiring presidential candidates debate and try to gain supporters. Several candidates have stepped forward with general ideas to reduce the national debt, but all agree that it would take several terms in the White House to significantly reduce the national debt in order to obtain numbers easier to manage.

Not all can agree on what programs should be cut, but it is generally agreed that the U.S. cannot continue on its current path without reassessing government spending and making certain changes to save money to reduce the national debt.

The national debt is expected to grow about a trillion dollars per year over the next few years at its current rate, although the numbers do change according to who is interpreting the data under what agenda.

[Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images News]