Total U.S. debt to hit $19.6 trillion by 2015

image
Published: 09 Jun, 2010
1 min read

According to an official Treasury Department report to Congress, total U.S. public debt will hit nearly $20 trillion by 2015.  The report states that the ratio of total public debt to GDP will rise to a staggering 102% over the same period.

A CNBC article listed the following expenditures as the primary culprits for the unprecedented debt explosion:

     Wall St bailout

     Afghanistan and Iraq wars

     Stimulus

     Obligations to Social Security and other government trust funds

At the very least, experts such as University of Maryland professor, Carmen Reinhart, warn that economic growth could be slowed for years to come.  Reinhart has testified for President Obama's bipartisan deficit reduction commission.  Other experts, specifically hailing from the Austrian School of Economics, have warned of a future collapse in the value of the U.S. Dollar due to chronic deficits.

Even Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernake, the champion of loose monetary policy, is beginning to warn about the future impact of fiscal irresponsibility.  A Business Insider article highlights some chilling statements from a recent Bernanke interview with CNN:

IVP Donate

     "Bernanke talked about the need for U.S. leaders to take control of the nation's deficits over the medium term, some three to six years from now, in a way "that will allow us to bring our fiscal house in order over a long period of time."
But when asked if the nation has such a plan, or if he's seen one, Bernanke said: "No. Not yet. I don't."

More and more financial experts are sounding the alarm bells about unsustainable debt levels.  Whether it's been Bush and a Republican Congress, Obama and a Democratic Congress, Greenspan or Bernanke at the Federal Reserve, U.S. fiscal and monetary policies have put the United States on a collision course with a full-fledged debt disaster.

You Might Also Like

Caution tape with US Capitol building in the background.
Did the Republicans or Democrats Start the Gerrymandering Fight?
The 2026 midterm election cycle is quickly approaching. However, there is a lingering question mark over what congressional maps will look like when voters start to cast their ballots, especially as Republicans and Democrats fight to obtain any electoral advantage possible. ...
11 Nov, 2025
-
8 min read
Utah state capitol.
Utah Judge Delivers a Major Blow to Gerrymandering
A Utah state judge has struck down the congressional map drawn by Republican lawmakers, ruling that it violates the state’s voter-approved ban on partisan gerrymandering and ordering new district lines for the 2026 elections....
11 Nov, 2025
-
2 min read
bucking party on gerrymandering
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read