The President’s Budget Proposals Will Lead the Federal Debt to Approach 200 Percent of GDP Over the Next 70 Years

SOURCE: Office of Management and Budget, The Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2013, Analytical Perspectives
The President’s budget stabilizes the debt only in the short-term. If all of the proposals in the budget were adopted, government debt would still soar to unsustainable levels in the long run, even under the optimistic assumptions used in the administration’s long-run projections. Under less optimistic assumptions, debt would grow even faster. The President’s long-run budget projections assume that discretionary spending remains well below its 30-year historical average and that the growth of health care spending will slow significantly.
Download OMB’s Long-Term Budget Outlook
Download OMB’s Long-Term Budget Projections
Click here to read Michael Peterson’s statement on President Obama’s Budget.
Click here to read Michael Peterson’s op-ed in Politico.
Further Reading
Rising National Debt Increases Costs for American Families and Businesses
Federal fiscal policy is a significant but often overlooked factor in the affordability of vehicles, homes, and small business loans.
Payroll Taxes: What Are They and What Do They Fund?
Payroll taxes fund social insurance programs including Social Security and Medicare and are the second-largest source of revenues for the federal government.
Tax Reform Alone May Not Be Enough to Stabilize the National Debt
A new report from the Tax Foundation breaks down the drivers of the fiscal imbalance and concludes that tax increases alone cannot solve the problem.