America’s fiscal health and economic strength are closely linked. Putting our nation on a sustainable fiscal path creates a positive environment for economic growth. With a strong fiscal foundation, the nation will have increased access to capital, more resources for future public and private investments, improved consumer and business confidence, and a stronger safety net.
However, if we fail to act, the opposite is also true. If our long-term fiscal challenges remain unaddressed, our economic environment weakens as confidence suffers, access to capital is reduced, interest costs crowd out key investments in our future and the conditions for growth deteriorate — all harming the prospects for the next generation.
Below is a selection of charts providing an overview of the U.S. economic outlook.
Attribution Policy: If you would like to use any of these charts, please credit the "Peter G. Peterson Foundation" and provide the pgpf.org website URL and hyperlink. If you would like to include one of our charts in a commercial product, please email copyright@pgpf.org.
Further Reading
With $38 Trillion in Debt, Is the U.S. Headed for More Credit Downgrades?
Three successive downgrades of the U.S. credit rating should alarm elected leaders, but our national debt remains on an unsustainable trajectory.
Three Reasons Why Assuming Sustained 3% Growth is a Budget Gimmick
GDP growth of 3 percent is significantly higher than independent, nonpartisan estimates and historically difficult to achieve.
The OBBBA’s Effect on Income Distribution in the United States
The benefits and burdens of the OBBBA are not evenly distributed. Low-income households will fare much worse than middle- and high-income ones.