Trade Gap Widens in August, Ends 60 Percent Above 12-Month Average
The total trade deficit in August was $105.57 billion, up $12.75 billion from July and 60 percent above the 12-month average. In trade of goods, the U.S. ran a trade deficit of $136.57 billion, up $12.76 billion from July and 43 percent above the 12-month average. In trade of services, the U.S. ran ...
National Debt Reaches $40.25 Trillion, Increased $2.39 Trillion Year over Year Increasing at an average rate of $75,863 per Second
As of October 05, 2026, total gross national debt is $40.25 trillion. Relative to one year ago, total gross national debt is $2.39 trillion higher; relative to five years ago, it is $11.82 trillion higher. Over the past year, the rate of increase averaged $6.55 billion per day, $273.11 million per h...
JEC: Medicare Reform Would Save Seniors Nearly $12,000 in Part B Premiums. H.R. 3467 would lower premiums by more than $35 a month in 2033 while reducing federal spending by an estimated $1.8 trillion over 10 years
Today, the Joint Economic Committee released a new issue brief entitled The Premium Payoff: Medicare Advantage Reform Can Lower Costs for Seniors finds that reforms to Medicare Advantage included in the H.R. 3467 would lower Medicare Part B premiums and allow seniors to keep more of their Social Sec...
496K Jobs Gained in FY2026, 29K Jobs Added in September, Participation Rate Relatively Steady
For FY2026, jobs increased by 496,000, unemployment decreased slightly by 0.2 percentage points, and the labor force participation rate held steady for prime aged workers (83.7 percent) but ticked down by 0.7 percentage points overall ending the year at 61.8 percent. In September, jobs increased by ...
JEC Brief Highlights Misaligned Incentives for State Medicaid Fraud Enforcement
The Joint Economic Committee released a new issue brief entitled Who Pays, Who Saves? How Medicaid Payment Structures Impact Fraud Enforcement, examining how the federal-state Medicaid financing structure may create misaligned incentives for states to identify and address fraud, waste, and improper ...
Annual PCE Inflation Lower than Expected, Spending Up and Savings Down Slightly in August, Q2 GDP Increased
From July to August, headline personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index inflation was 0.31 percent. Core PCE price index inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, remained flat from July at 0.25 percent. In the same period, spending increased slightly while savings decreased. Real ...
August Unemployment Fell in 27 States plus DC, Remained Unchanged in 19, Increased in 4
In August, among the 50 states and the District of Columbia unemployment fell in 28, rose in 4, and remained unchanged in 19. The highest unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in the District of Columbia, and the lowest was 2 percent in South Dakota. Nationally, the unemployment rate remained unchanged ...
State Inflation Comparison: Household Inflation Slowed by More Than 40% Under Trump
As of August 2026, the average American household faced $2,881 less in additional costs from rising prices – a 40.7 percent reduction – during the first 20 months of President Trump’s second term compared with the first 20 months of the Biden administration.
August Amassed $167 Billion Deficit, $1.97 Trillion Deficit so far in FY2026
In August, the federal government ran a deficit of $166.797 billion. From the beginning of the fiscal year to August, deficits were $1.966 trillion. This means 28.86 percent of outlays in FY2026 were not paid for by revenues, and for every dollar the federal government received in revenue, it spent ...
Consumer Price Index Up Slightly in August by 0.40 Percent, Meeting Expectations
Headline Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) increased by 0.40 percent in August and rose to 3.40 percent over the past year. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, increased 0.29 percent in August, higher than expected, and rose to 2.45 percent over the past year. Energy price inflation increased 2.10 ...