As the new year begins, and we start to write the first chapter of 2017, the United States of America is days away from swearing in a new President and administration. In my opinion, one of the least discussed problems facing the new administration and Congress is the increasing national debt.
By comparison, when George W. Bush was first sworn in to office, the national debt was $5.63 trillion. Eight years ago, when Barack Obama took office, the national debt almost doubled to $9.98 trillion. Today as Donald Trump prepares to be sworn in, the national debt stands at $19.88 trillion1.
This figure does not include the unfunded obligations we have made through Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that would bring total obligations of our government close to $200 trillion dollars!
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