As of September 2024, the National Debt of the United States surpassed $35.3 trillion. For many Americans, the national debt is an abstract concept that has no impact on their daily lives. How much of a problem is the national debt? Some economists have argued that a high national debt would disrupt the American economy, producing high inflation, high unemployment, high interest rates, sharply negative economic growth, and a collapsing stock market. However, the debt has been increasing for over a generation without an economic collapse. While the absence of disaster might suggest that the national debt doesn’t matter, research by Everything Policy identifies a looming short-term problem: the rise in interest payments on the debt is about to trigger major spending reductions across a wide range of federal programs.

Are recent policy changes designed to reduce asylum claims and unauthorized entries at America’s southern border? Border crossings were at unprecedentedly high levels in 2022, 2023, and early 2024. In recent months, the U.S. government implemented new policies to reduce asylum claims and illegal entries. Are these new policies working?

One of the major impediments to getting more electric vehicles (EVs) on the road is the need for wide-scale charging infrastructure. Charging stations are needed so that people can use EVs for longer periods of driving and to allow urban residents (who may lack garages and parking spaces where they can install a charging port) to charge their EVs for everyday use. While the number of charging stations is steadily increasing, it lags far behind the number required to support widespread EV adoption and government mandates. In this brief, our analysts calculate the number of charging stations needed and where they must be located.