Story thread · 3 reports / 3 sources

Trump’s stunning 'dereliction of duty' pummeled by Washington Post

alternet.org · 7dShare

According to U.S. Treasury data, the United States' federal deficit reached $1.8 trillion dollars this year. Economists are warning that the deficit could pass $2.0 trillion in the months ahead. And the Washington Post, in an editorial posted on Labor Day 2026, outlines the threat that federal government debt poses to the U.S. military. The Post's editorial board writes, "Defending the country is Washington's most fundamental responsibility. Governments are expected to take on debt in wartime and pay it down in peacetime. Stretching the market for government debt to the limit in peacetime is a dereliction of duty and, ultimately, a danger to national defense." The Post, in its editorial, lays out the challenges the U.S. is facing from a defense standpoint, explaining how the ever-growing federal deficit hurts military preparedness. "The enemy gets a vote in foreign affairs, and nobody knows what the 2030s will hold," the Post editorial explains. "Will China invade Taiwan? Will NATO all

First report: Can the U.S. afford a major war? Not with this deficit. — washingtonpost.com, 7d