Government Finance 101. Fiscal Policy: Welcome to Alice in Wonderland
PRELIMINARY SUMMARY OF FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) made their latest projection in January, 2025. The projected deficit in fiscal year 2025 will be around $1.8 trillion, the difference between about $5.2 trillion in revenue and $7.0 trillion in expenses. Interest on the national debt this year will be around $950 billion, over twice the interest expense in the fiscal year 2021 budget. By 2035, the CBO expects the yearly budget deficit to increase to $2.7 trillion. Interest expense this year passed budgeted outlays for the military. It is about equal to Medicare, and also to total non-defense discretionary spending. Leaving aside Social Security and Medicare, interest expense is about 20% of total budget outlays. Interest expense is about half the budget deficit. The $1.8 trillion budget deficit is 6-7% of total GDP, or approximately 10% of consumer spending. Adding the $1 trillion trade deficit, w...