i get your point and mostly agree with it - it's frustrating when people say things like "public transit isn't profitable"... yeah, it's not supposed to be, it's okay for things to cost money.
but that's different to being in debt. a public service can absolutely be in debt. it's given a budget, and if it fails to operate within that budget it goes into debt. that might mean the budget is too low, but there's always a point where a service is no longer worth the budget it would take to keep it operating. (not making a judgement on the helium reserve - i really have no context for how necessary or useful it is)
A public service (which is what a federal stockpile IS) cannot be in dept.
Can't wait until "fiscal responsibility" types are trying to sell off the justice department to the highest bidder because it "is in debt"