Federal Debt Increases for 60th Straight Fiscal Year

[rangerrebew]

Federal Debt Increases for 60th Straight Fiscal Year

(CNSNews.com) -- The total federal debt climbed by $671,455,302,116.72 in fiscal 2017, making 2017 the 60th straight fiscal year in which the federal debt has increased, according to the official numbers published by the U.S. Treasury [1].

At the end of fiscal 2016, the federal debt stood at $19,573,444,713,936.79. By the end of fiscal 2017 (which closed on Sept. 30), it was $20,244,900,016,053,51.
 

Source URL: https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/federal-debt-increases-60th-straight-fiscal-year

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Something seems wrong here.  I thought Bill Clinton ran a surplus while in office.  If true, one cannot increase the debt, can you?



  http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/jan/20/barack-obama/barack-obama-claims-deficit-has-decreased-two-thir/

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Something seems wrong here.  I thought Bill Clinton ran a surplus while in office.  If true, one cannot increase the debt, can you?



  http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/jan/20/barack-obama/barack-obama-claims-deficit-has-decreased-two-thir/

It depends.  When you calculate the deficit while excluding SSI and interest payments on debt (working from memory here, I'm pretty sure those two are correct and there's a third I can never remember, YMMV), you can show a surplus when there isn't really one.

I looked at the history of the debt at the treasury.gov site a few years ago, and the debt hasn't decreased even once since the mid 50's.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

It depends.  When you calculate the deficit while excluding SSI and interest payments on debt (working from memory here, I'm pretty sure those two are correct and there's a third I can never remember, YMMV), you can show a surplus when there isn't really one.

I looked at the history of the debt at the treasury.gov site a few years ago, and the debt hasn't decreased even once since the mid 50's.

so what you are saying is that Clinton lied and all of this is just crap disguised as statistics.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

so what you are saying is that Clinton lied and all of this is just crap disguised as statistics.

In one of the early 2012 debates, within five minutes Newt both claimed credit for the "surpluses" and then explained how Clinton lied because there were no surpluses.

IDK, but IMO if you end up owing more at the end of the year than you did at the beginning, I'm not calling that running a surplus.

[RoosGirl]

so what you are saying is that Clinton lied and all of this is just crap disguised as statistics.

He said "I did not have surplus relations with that bitch, the Federal Debt."

[jmyrlefuller]

so what you are saying is that Clinton lied and all of this is just crap disguised as statistics.

You can keep borrowing even if you're making more money than you're spending, which is what I suspect happened in the 90s.