It costs more to be an American now than it did five years ago—more than 50 percent more. The U.S. government spent more than half again as much in 2024 as it did in 2019, and interest payments on the national debt more than doubled during that time, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Since 2019, federal spending, the national debt, and the size of the federal bureaucracy have all grown rapidly. Federal regulations have also increased over the past half-decade, with some 290 additional rules and nearly 10 million words added to administrative law books.
