Ninety state officers urged President Trump and Congress to sort out the national debt disaster in a Thursday letter – warning of “a painful age of reckoning” if nothing is completed, The Post has discovered.
State treasurers and lawmakers from states including Arizona, Pennsylvania and Texas, as nicely as Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, famous in the missive that national debt already tops $38 trillion.
Ninety state officers urged President Trump and lawmakers to sort out the national debt disaster in a letter Thursday. Nathan Howard – Pool via CNP/Shutterstock
The letter demanded that Trump and members of Congress approve a plan by July 4, 2026 – the nation’s 250th anniversary – to put the federal authorities on observe to attain a balanced funds.
“Without a decisive change in course, we will not only face a very painful day of reckoning, but a painful age of reckoning we never want to see,” the officers, principally from purple states, wrote in a copy of the letter obtained by The Post.
“Younger citizens of our states need a solid runway to prepare for changes, while our oldest and most vulnerable citizens need assurances.”
The letter famous that the national debt already exceeds $37 billion. AFP via Getty Images
The White House did not immediately reply to The Post’s request for remark.
In the letter, the signatories also urged Trump to “[cut] red tape and [tap] into our nation’s vast natural resources.”
They said he should roll back “the costly and burdensome requirements that accompany federal funds sent to states.”
While the officers recommended the work of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, a cost-cutting company that slashed hundreds of federal roles, they called on Trump to take more aggressive motion.
“The federal government caused this crisis, and then ignored the crisis as it got worse, so now the states are sounding the alarm and demanding a new direction,” OJ Oleka, chief government of the State Financial Officers Foundation, advised The Post in a assertion.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, along with a quantity of other state officers, signed the letter. REUTERS
“Fortunately, we currently have a president for whom taking bold action to solve big problems is second nature.”
The letter warned that US debt could lead to the collapse of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Social Security trust funds could become bancrupt by 2033, ensuing in a more than 20% discount or $16,500 lower in advantages on average per couple, the letter acknowledged, citing the Congressional Budget Office.
The letter demanded Trump and members of Congress approve a plan by July 4, 2026 to put the federal authorities on observe to attain a balanced funds. Getty Images
The letter came as Trump has been floating the concept of $2,000 tariff “dividend” checks for most Americans, even as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has tried to throw cold water on the concept.
The president has said the checks will be funded by income from levies on many imports. But the payout comes with an estimated $600 billion price tag – twice the income expected from tariffs, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
