Washington • The national debt has topped $16 trillion as chronic government deficits have piled more than $50,000 worth of debt onto federal ledgers for every man, woman and child in the United States.
Barack Obama’s GOP rivals used the grim but expected news to blast the president for the government’s dreadful fiscal performance over his 3 1/2 years in office. Obama has presided over four straight years of trillion dollar-plus deficits after inheriting a weak economy from his predecessor, George W. Bush.
 |
Join the Discussion |
 |
Post a Comment |
The spiraling debt means that lawmakers and whoever wins the White House in November will have to pass legislation to raise the government’s borrowing cap from the current ceiling of $16.4 trillion. Passing such legislation last year proved enormously difficult and the nation’s credit rating suffered.
-
Prep boys tennis: Tennis tops among Noh’s many pursuits
Published May 22, 2013 03:16:02PM -
Attorney general: 4 Americans killed since 2009 in drone strikes
Published May 22, 2013 03:11:32PM -
Your town in brief: Crunching numbers
Published May 22, 2013 02:54:02PM -
Prep baseball: Jourdan develops into stalwart on the mound
Published May 22, 2013 02:49:03PM
Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
