by Gregory Korte, USA TODAY |
The deficit this year is expected to be
The non-partisan budget office has been reporting declining deficits ever since, but Tuesday's report shows that the deficits are shrinking even faster than predicted. This year's deficit is
Why? The CBO says federal revenues are increasing by 9% and short-term spending cuts have held spending increases to just 2.6%.
Deficits are expected to decline this year and next, and then start rising again because of increased health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, mounting interest costs and an aging population receiving more entitlements, the report said.
And the national debt — the cumulative effect of those annual budget deficits — is still a problem, the CBO said. The debt will be
"Such large and growing federal debt could have serious negative consequences, including restraining economic growth in the long term, giving policymakers less flexibility to respond to unexpected challenges, and eventually increasing the risk of a fiscal crisis," the report said.
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Copyright: | Copyright 2014 USATODAY.com |
Source: | USA Today |
Wordcount: | 253 |
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