[antidemoncrat]

So under Obama the US debt increased 1.25 trillion dollars a year for 8 years but I guess he raised his hands and caused confusion among all the Lame Street Media pundits.

[smokingfrog]

Every budget is a stimulus bill now.
How long do they think that’s going to last?

[nobamanomore]

Debt is great! When Dems are in charge. It never ceases to amaze me how they ignored it when the O was there, went into office with 10T in debt left with 20T in debt. Not a word was spoken by them. Now Trump is president. There was a total increase in deficit of 80B over the year before. I guess that’s a big deal. Now...

[cranked]

Exactly. Earth calling Heather Long and the Chicago Tribune! So after 8 years of Obama-Idiot doubling the national debt 10+ trillion.....now its an issues, Chicago Tribune/Heather Long?!! Like where the frak you been the last 8-damn years?

[lquist1]

Am I missing something here? The headline says “an 84% jump from last year”, and in the article, it says “almost double”. Both can’t be right.

[RoosterRedux]

Of course, we have no idea as to the accuracy of this number BUT we can expect estimates of increased borrowing for revenues lost due to the tax cuts...until the economy begins to heat up.

If the economy grows at 5.4% in the first qtr and commensurately thereafter, this borrowing will be quickly repaid and we should see our national balance sheet begin to improve.

[raiderboy]

outrageous. CUT SPENDING!! STOP FOREIGN BRIBES. Make Americans work again and curtail welfare and unearned tax credits. Get these illegal aliens off out jobs!!

[Sasparilla]

The benefit of Reagan tax cuts were neutered by increases in government spending at the same time

[GOPJ]

Obama increased debt more than all other Presidents before him COMBINED to meet political objectives... And he expanded the use of FISA Courts to meet other political ends... Demand the trutha: Were FISA Courts used almost exclusively to spy on conservative Americans during the Obama years?

[Norseman]

More on the outlook for long-term interest rates:

The U.S. Treasury has tried to extend the average maturity of the debt the past few years by issuing longer paper, but the Federal Reserve completely frustrated that effort by purchasing huge amounts of the longer debt that the Treasury issued. That means that the markets weren’t forced to absorb the new long debt. The Fed took it on instead. In fact, it left traditional buyers of longer bonds looking for alternatives which is probably one reason stocks did so well and also why junk bonds are priced so richly today.

Well, the Fed has already announced plans to reduce it’s long portfolio and has stated that it will gradually increase the amount sold every month until it reaches $50 billion per month by the 4th quarter of this year. Meanwhile the Treasury will be issuing about $80 bn a month, much of it longer paper. Plus, on top of that, they’ll be rolling over maturing debt at a rate of about $300 bn a month.

Put it all together and instead of all of the Treasury’s long bond issuance being absorbed by the Fed, we’re going to get $50 bn being sold into the market by the Fed and the Treasury issuing more long paper than ever at the same time.

The impact on long-term interest rates is likely to be the opposite of the impact when the Fed was buying everything the Treasury issued on the long end. The short end, however, will trade close to the fed funds rate, as usual, but that could start to rise at a faster rate too if the economy gets a serious boost from the tax cut.

[SteveinSATX]

gee welcome to the game Tribune, you’re only 9 years too late!

[ilovesarah2012]

Will it ever be possible to balance the federal budget? Doesn’t seem like anyone in the federal government is concerned with it.