# Free the Facts

> A nonpartisan nonprofit that explains how Social Security, the federal budget, and the national debt actually work — and what young Americans can do about them.

Free the Facts publishes plain-language policy explainers and runs leadership programs (Ambassador, Fellow, Scholar, Internship) for college students and early-career Americans. Affiliated program: Across the Aisle. Canonical domain: freefacts.org. Tagline: "We don't tell you what to think; we just make sure you can."

## Site Index

- [Homepage](https://freefacts.org/)
- [Resources index](https://freefacts.org/resources): Short policy explainers (full list below).
- [Policy Library](https://freefacts.org/policy-library): Comprehensive topic primers on Social Security, the federal budget, and the national debt.

## Policy Library — Comprehensive Topic Explainers

Each topic covers how the program works, the challenges it faces, what those challenges mean for everyday Americans, and the policy solutions on the table.

### Social Security
- [What Is Social Security? How It Works, Challenges & Solutions](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/social-security): Program hub.
- [How Social Security Works: Payroll Taxes & Benefits Explained](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/social-security/how-it-works): Eligibility, FICA, benefit calculation.
- [Social Security Challenges: Why the Trust Fund Is Running Out](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/social-security/challenges): Demographics, worker-to-beneficiary ratio, insolvency timeline.
- [Social Security Insolvency 2033: What It Means for You](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/social-security/what-it-means-for-you): Projected benefit cuts and timing.
- [Social Security Solutions: Policy Options to Fix Insolvency](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/social-security/questions-for-solutions): Payroll tax cap, retirement age, benefit formula reforms.

### Federal Budget
- [Federal Budget Explained: Revenue, Spending & Deficits](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/federal-budget): Program hub.
- [How the Federal Budget Works: A Plain-Language Guide](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/federal-budget/how-it-works): Appropriations process from 1789 to today.
- [Federal Budget Challenges: Debt, Process & Mandatory Spending](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/federal-budget/challenges): The three biggest budget challenges.
- [Federal Budget: What Rising Debt Means for You](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/federal-budget/what-it-means-for-you): Interest rates, future taxes, programs young Americans rely on.
- [Federal Budget Solutions: Revenue, Spending & Process Reforms](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/federal-budget/questions-for-solutions): Policy options to stabilize the budget.

### National Debt
- [What Is the National Debt? Policy Breakdown](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/national-debt): Program hub — history from $75 million in 1791 to over $39 trillion today.
- [How the National Debt Works](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/national-debt/how-it-works): How the government borrows, who lends, Treasury bonds, deficits.
- [National Debt: Why U.S. Debt-to-GDP Is Unsustainable](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/national-debt/challenges): Rising debt-to-GDP, drivers, warning signs of fiscal crisis.
- [National Debt: What It Means for You](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/national-debt/what-it-means-for-you): Real-world impacts on income, prices, loans, and government services.
- [National Debt Solutions: Questions & Policy Options](https://freefacts.org/policy-library/national-debt/questions-for-solutions): Bipartisan paths to balancing the budget and stabilizing debt-to-GDP.

## Resource Articles — Short Explainers

Plain-language 2- to 6-minute explainers on specific policy questions.

### Social Security
- [Social Security Projected to Be Insolvent in 2032: 5 Things You Should Know](https://freefacts.org/resources/social-security-projected-to-be-insolvent-in-2032-5-things-you-should-know): Takeaways from the 2026 Trustees report.
- [Social Security in the Red: What That Means for You and Me](https://freefacts.org/resources/social-security-in-the-red-what-that-means-for-you-and-me): Cato Institute panel recap on insolvency and policy responses.
- [When Did Social Security Start? FDR Signed It in 1935](https://freefacts.org/resources/why-did-franklin-roosevelt-create-social-security): History of the 1935 Social Security Act and why FDR created it.
- [Social Security Eligibility: Who Qualifies and When](https://freefacts.org/resources/heres-how-you-become-eligible-for-social-security-benefits): Work credits, residency, age requirements.
- [What Happens If Social Security Runs Out of Money?](https://freefacts.org/resources/what-happens-if-social-security-runs-out-of-money): What insolvency would actually mean for benefits.
- [Why Is Social Security Running Out of Money?](https://freefacts.org/resources/why-is-social-security-running-out-of-money): The demographics behind the funding shortfall.
- [How Much Does the Average Person Pay Into Social Security?](https://freefacts.org/resources/how-much-money-will-i-pay-into-social-security-and-how-much-will-i-get-out): Lifetime contributions vs. lifetime benefits.
- [Social Security Payments vs. Benefits: What You Get Back](https://freefacts.org/resources/social-security-payments-vs-benefits): Real examples comparing what people pay in vs. what they receive.
- [What Is the Social Security COLA? 2025 Increase Explained](https://freefacts.org/resources/whats-a-cola-and-how-does-it-impact-social-security-benefits): Cost-of-Living Adjustments and how they work.
- [What Is the Social Security Trust Fund? A Plain Explainer](https://freefacts.org/resources/what-is-the-social-security-trust-fund): The $2.8 trillion fund and special-issue Treasury bonds.
- [Social Security Trust Funds FAQ: OASI, DI, and OASDI](https://freefacts.org/resources/faq-social-security-trust-funds): Quick reference on the trust funds.
- [Social Security's Three Future Scenarios, Explained](https://freefacts.org/resources/the-three-scenarios-of-social-securitys-future): The Trustees' low-cost, intermediate, and high-cost projections.
- [The 1983 Greenspan Commission and Social Security Reform](https://freefacts.org/resources/events-in-context-the-1983-greenspan-commission): The last major bipartisan Social Security reform.
- [Why Social Security Excluded Black Workers Until 1950](https://freefacts.org/resources/events-in-context-social-securitys-racial-legacy): Racial legacy of the 1935 Social Security Act.
- [How Social Security Insolvency Would Hurt Black Americans](https://freefacts.org/resources/policy-in-context-how-would-social-security-bankruptcy-disproportionately-affect-the-black-community): Disproportionate impact on Black retirees.
- [How Much of the Federal Budget Goes to Social Security?](https://freefacts.org/resources/how-does-social-security-fit-into-the-federal-budget): The program's share of federal spending.

### Federal Budget & National Debt
- [The Bond Market and the National Debt: Why You Should Care](https://freefacts.org/resources/the-bond-market-and-the-national-debt-why-you-should-care): How rising 30-year Treasury yields make the national debt grow faster and raise borrowing costs.
- [US Debt-to-GDP Just Hit 100%: What It Means for You](https://freefacts.org/resources/what-does-it-mean-to-reach-100-debt-to-gdp): March 2026 milestone and economic implications.
- [Discretionary Spending Explained: Examples & 2024 Budget](https://freefacts.org/resources/federal-budget-101-discretionary-spending): What discretionary spending funds and how Congress sets it.
- [Debt Held by the Public vs. Intragovernmental Debt](https://freefacts.org/resources/whats-the-difference-between-debt-held-by-the-public-and-intragovernmental-debt): Two types of federal debt and why the distinction matters.
- [DOGE Wants $2 Trillion in Spending Cuts: Is It Possible?](https://freefacts.org/resources/doge-wants-to-cut-2-trillion-off-the-federal-budget-but-how): Analysis of the DOGE proposal.
- [Why Can't We Just Print More Money to Pay Off the Debt?](https://freefacts.org/resources/why-cant-we-just-print-more-money): Inflation and the economics of debt monetization.
- [One Year After SVB: How the Fed May Tighten Bank Rules](https://freefacts.org/resources/one-year-later-heightened-interest-in-new-federal-reserve-regulations): Federal Reserve regulatory response to the 2023 banking crisis.

### Taxes
- [Social Security and Medicare Payroll Taxes: How They Work](https://freefacts.org/resources/taxes-101-medicare-and-social-security-payroll-taxes): FICA breakdown — what comes out of your paycheck.

## Leadership Programs

- [Ambassador Program](https://freefacts.org/applications/ambassador-program): Train young advocates on policy issues that affect their generation.
- [Internship Program](https://freefacts.org/applications/intern-application): Hands-on summer experience in policy work.
- [Fellow Program](https://freefacts.org/applications/fellow-application): Advanced training and mentorship for early-career policy professionals.
- [Scholar Program](https://freefacts.org/applications/scholar-application): Academic support for students pursuing public policy.
- [Across the Aisle](https://answerthecalldc.org/college-leadership-programs): Affiliated bipartisan leadership program for college campuses, run via Answer the Call.

## Stay Informed

- [Newsletter signup](https://signup.freefacts.org/newsletter): Policy explainers delivered to your inbox.
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- Email: Contact@freefacts.org