Is the US Government Asking for Donations? The Truth Behind the $38 Trillion Debt Rumor

Is the US Government Asking for Donations? The Truth Behind the $38 Trillion Debt Rumor

On Saturday night, an X user called @TheMaineWonk posted a screenshot of a page on Pay.gov, the US Treasury's payment portal. It showed a form titled 'Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt' with options to pay by bank transfer, credit card, PayPal or Venmo. 'The United States Government is now accepting donations,' the post read. 'Everything is fine.' It wasn't new. Not remotely. But the screenshot — with its cheerful Venmo and PayPal buttons sitting …