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National Debt

What is national debt and how does it affect our economy?

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Breaking Ground

The Golden Triangle: How the CHIPS Act is changing one Arizona neighborhood

by Kai Ryssdal and Maria Hollenhorst
May 29, 2024
The investment and growth spurred by government dollars are heightening competition among residents, business owners and local officials.
In the Phoenix area, development accelerated by CHIPS Act investment may disrupt rural lifestyles and transform parts of the desert. Above, developer Charles Eckert.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
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National Debt

Tax breaks are popular. They also cost the federal government more than $1 trillion a year.

by Kimberly Adams
May 24, 2024
In the debate over the debt and deficit, experts say tax breaks that skew toward the wealthy deserve as close a look as government spending.
“The IRS has basically been turned into not just a revenue-collection agency, but also basically a welfare agency having to give people goodies and tax breaks for all sorts of different things that they do," economist Gerald Prante says.
Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images
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National Debt

Now that pandemic SNAP benefits have ended, many scramble for food

by Stacey Vanek Smith
May 23, 2024
The number of Americans facing food insecurity has increased. People are turning to food pantries, soup kitchens and each other.
When emergency nutrition assistance expired, millions of Americans suddenly had hundreds of dollars less per month for food. 
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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National Debt

Commerce chief lays out blueprint for chip manufacturing in America

by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson
May 10, 2024
The supply chain is being built to reduce U.S. vulnerability and seize opportunities like artificial intelligence, Raimondo says.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo discussed chips, China and jobs with Marketplace's Kai Ryssdal in Washington.
Nancy Farghalli/Marketplace
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National Debt

When the government can no longer pay full Social Security benefits

by Sabri Ben-Achour
May 7, 2024
Monday's report on the system's "go-broke" date raises questions about how Social Security is funded.
Projections indicate that Social Security and Medicare benefits will be cut immediately after 2033 by 21%, says Will McBride, vice president of federal tax policy at the Tax Foundation.
Bill Oxford via Getty Images
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National Debt

How entitlements like Social Security and Medicare got so big

by Stacey Vanek Smith
May 3, 2024
These programs are the biggest part of the budget, and cuts to them feel personal, one expert says. Reducing them has been tough historically.
Social Security started during the Depression as a way to get money to elderly people, many of whom were living in poverty. Now it's the biggest U.S. government expense.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Breaking Ground

Looking for a “fresh start” amid Phoenix’s semiconductor boom

by Kai Ryssdal , Heather Long and Maria Hollenhorst
May 2, 2024
The federal government is spending billions to support semiconductor manufacturing. But trainees seeking chipmaking jobs may have to wait.
Students in the Semiconductor Technician Quick Start training course at Mesa Community College practice while wearing “bunny suits,” the required workwear at fabrication plants.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
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Breaking Ground

Chip factory growth boughs to native plants in Phoenix

by Maria Hollenhorst , Kai Ryssdal and Heather Long
May 1, 2024
Here's the story of one business at the intersection of conservation and growth amid Phoenix’s semiconductor boom.
“What we have been able to do with developers is make them understand that not only is there an environmental advantage to saving the trees ... there's also a monetary advantage,” says Rob Kater, owner of Native Resources.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace
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Breaking Ground

CHIPS funds are heading to Phoenix, “ground zero for the new economy”

by Kai Ryssdal , Heather Long and Maria Hollenhorst
Apr 30, 2024
An influx of federal investment in the Arizona metropolis is meant to energize the nation's tech industry and accelerate job creation. Will it work?
President Joe Biden arrives at the TSMC facility in Phoenix to speak in December 2022. TSMC was recently awarded $6.6 billion in CHIPS Act funding.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
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National Debt

Demand for Treasury bonds dips in times of uncertainty

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Apr 16, 2024
Investors fear missing out on higher rates of return by locking up the money they put in for 10 years or more.
Thanks to uncertainty about the Fed's next move, bond traders may not be too excited about upcoming Treasury bonds.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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