US Government is Accepting Donations to Pay Off Its $39 Trillion Debt Via PayPal
- The US Treasury now accepts PayPal and Venmo donations to help reduce America’s $39 trillion debt
- Monthly contributions average just $120,000, a fraction of the $88 billion in interest payments
- As traditional cuts and crypto proposals stall, taxpayers face two contrasting paths to address the crisis
The US Treasury has updated its payment options, now allowing citizens to make voluntary contributions towards the national debt using PayPal and Venmo through its Pay.gov form.
This comes as the government faces a staggering $39 trillion debt.
Source: Getty Images
Donations versus debt scale
Despite the new digital payment options, donations average only about $120,000 a month. This is minuscule compared to the $88 billion in monthly interest payments alone. Since 1996, cumulative donations have reached roughly $67 million, with February 2026 inflows near $30,000.
A 64-year-old programme gains attention
The “Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt” programme has existed since 1961 under 31 U.S.C. § 3113. While historically overlooked, it has recently gained viral attention due to the scale of America’s debt crisis.
Senator Rand Paul’s six penny plan
Amid rising debt, Senator Rand Paul has promoted his Six Penny Plan. He explained:
“I introduced the Six Penny Plan because the answer to our debt crisis isn’t complicated. Cut six cents off every dollar. Balance the budget in five years. Protect your children’s future. The only thing standing in the way is Washington’s refusal to live within its means.”
The plan aims to trim six cents from every federal dollar over five years to balance the budget.
Strategic bitcoin reserve proposal
Bitcoin advocates argue for a different approach. Senator Cynthia Lummis introduced the BITCOIN Act of 2025, which proposed purchasing 1 million BTC over five years to build a sovereign crypto reserve. Asset manager VanEck projected that such a reserve could reduce US debt by 36% by 2050.
VanEck stated:
“Assuming today’s $900 trillion of total global financial assets compound at 7.0% from 2025 – 2049, Bitcoin would represent 18% of global financial assets in this scenario.”
However, the bill remains stalled in committee. Lummis announced in December 2025 that she will not seek reelection.
Trump’s executive order and legislative stalemate
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve using forfeited coins. Yet, operational deadlines have passed, and Congress has not allocated funds for new acquisitions. The companion Mined in America Act seeks to formalise this framework but also remains stalled.
Two paths forward
The current outlook leaves taxpayers with two contrasting tools:
Voluntary digital donations via PayPal and Venmo.
A stalled legislative push for a fixed-supply Bitcoin reserve.
Speaking with Legit.ng, AbdulRasheed Hussain, a policy analyst based in Nigeria, he analysed structural approaches to tackling the debt crisis:
“The U.S. government’s move to accept PayPal and Venmo donations toward its $39 trillion debt is more symbolic than practical. The scale of the debt compared to the tiny inflows, about $120,000 a month, shows how voluntary contributions cannot meaningfully address the crisis. What it does highlight, however, is the desperation for creative solutions as traditional budget cuts stall and unconventional proposals like a Bitcoin reserve remain stuck in Congress.”
Source: Getty Images
US cuts deportation list to 110 Nigerians
Legit.ng earlier reported that the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that the number of Nigerians set for deportation has been reduced from 130 to 110.
These individuals were convicted of serious crimes and have now been placed on what DHS describes as its “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
