美聯儲巴爾金警告：美國債務不斷攀升終將面臨「清算」

According to Jinse Finance, Richmond Federal Reserve President Barkin stated that if U.S. debt continues to rise, a “reckoning” will eventually occur, but it is difficult to know when this will happen. When asked about the total U.S. public debt exceeding 40 trillion dollars, Barkin said that as long as the public continues to buy Treasury bonds, the government can keep borrowing. However, he added that there is a risk investors may eventually start to resist lending.

“Over time, this will ultimately face a reckoning. But no one can tell you when that reckoning will be,” Barkin said at an event Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina. “We have the global currency, rule of law—these are all reasons people keep buying bonds. But, you know, one day, people might stop buying your bonds, and that’s the risk that exists.”

Barkin reiterated remarks he made earlier this month, when he outlined the case for keeping rates steady given evidence that inflation is easing, while also acknowledging officials may need to raise rates if price pressures persist.

The Federal Reserve kept rates unchanged at its fifth meeting in July, even though three officials dissented in favor of a 25 basis point hike. Barkin, who did not have a vote this year, said it’s hard to determine the full extent of the impact of rates on the economy.

After the event, Barkin told reporters that the July rates decision was a “close call.” He explained that one reason to delay adjusting rates was that officials will have two more months of economic data before the next policy meeting on September 15th–16th.

“So far, we’ve gotten a complete set of data, and coming up, we’ll get another complete set and see what we can learn from it,” Barkin said.

Policy makers from around the world will gather later this week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the Kansas City Fed’s annual economic symposium. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Walsh is scheduled to speak on Friday. He faces pressure to respond to criticism that he has not been transparent enough about his economic outlook.

Barkin indicated that the latest trade dispute with Canada has heightened uncertainty about how tariffs will impact prices and the economy. “I don’t think the Canadian situation itself will have any significant impact on the U.S. stance, but I do think whether we roughly know what the tariff rates will ultimately be—that’s a bigger question, and I haven’t seen any signals on that,” he said.