The plan’s uncontrolled spending risks a fiscal crisis

(Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Mitch Daniels Leon Panetta Tim Penny President Maya Macguineas Directors Barry Anderson Erskine Bowles Charles Bowsher Kent Conrad Dan Crippen Willis Gradison Jane Harman William Hoagland Jim Jones Lou Kerr Jim Kolbe Marjorie Margolies Dave Mccurdy James Mcintyre, Jr. David Minge Michael Nutter June O’neill Marne Obernauer, Jr. Rudolph Penner Robert Reischauer Charles Robb Isabel Sawhill Alan K. Simpson John Spratt Charlie Stenholm Gene Steuerle David Stockman John Tanner Tom Tauke Carol Cox Wait, “Risks and Threats from Deficits and Debt ,” pg online @ https://www.crfb.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/Risks_and_Threats_From_Deficits_and_Debt_July_2022.pdf //um-ef)

After two decades of uninterrupted borrowing – including three years in which deficits surpassed 10 percent of the economy – the U.S. national debt is higher as a share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than at any time since World War II and is on course to breach that record. Yet policymakers have done little to contain our $24 trillion national debt, and most legislation has added to it in recent years. Additionally, there have been numerous claims that “debt doesn’t matter” and the United States should borrow even more than the $16 trillion it is projected to borrow over the coming decade. These claims are problematic and concerning. This does not mean there is no proper time to borrow. In fact, deficit spending helped to prevent an economic catastrophe and support the country through a pandemic in the recent COVID-19 crisis. However, even this justified borrowing comes with some consequence, and much of the recent borrowing before and since the COVID crisis was enacted for political rather than purely economic justification. Excessively high debt levels are damaging for many reasons. High debt levels: Threaten economic vitality: The recent surge in deficit spending has contributed to rapid near-term inflation and over time will result in higher interest rates, slower economic and income growth, and a small but increased risk of fiscal crisis. Place a strain on the budget: The federal government currently spends as much on interest payments as it does on most of our safety net programs combined, and interest is projected to become the largest government expenditure within the next 30 years. As interest and mandatory spending dominate a greater share of the budget, our government’s ability to invest in new priorities will be limited. Create geopolitical challenges and risks: With large portions of our debt held by foreign investors, a substantial share of our national income goes abroad. We are consequentially left with fewer financial tools to manage conflicts with other countries when they have increased leverage over our economy. Make responding to new emergencies more challenging: High deficits and debt – particularly if coupled with high inflation or interest rates – make it harder to borrow in response to a recession, pandemic, war, or other legitimate emergency. Are unfair to younger and future generations: The federal budget already favors consumption on seniors over investment in children. Failing to address rising debt also leaves future generations with an additional fiscal and economic burden. Given these very real threats and risks, policymakers should pursue the appropriate tax and spending adjustments to bring the fiscal situation under control.