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What I don't get about this is that the US govt is the sole issuer or dollars - the govt issues currency and uses it to provision itself with the resources it needs to build bridges, operate its bureaucracy, pay the army etc. So, theoretically, the govt can issue as much coin as it needs to grow to arbitrary sizes.

The citizens aren't paying for the govt to run - not with money anyway.

Sort of. The Federal Reserve is nominally independent and controls the money supply. The US Treasury sells bonds to finance the government, and The Fed buys some of these bonds.

You are correct that tax dollars don’t totally fund the government, it is also possible taxes aren’t needed at all to fund government operations, since as you said, the money supply and government bond issues can theoretically be increased arbitrarily. Practically, the debt ceiling limits how much the government can borrow, and inflation/unemployment control how much money is created by The Fed.

Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.

Will Rogers

Big Money can buy.

Not even really that big, though.

https://slatestarcodex.com/2019/09/18/too-much-dark-money-in...

Politicians in Washington are transistors with high beta.