Efforts to Reduce the Budget Deficit. The rapid growth of the national debt alarmed some politicians and created pressure for restricting Congress's unlimited ability to spend. Efforts to Reduce the Deficit, formatted according to APA style as outlined in your approved style guide, discussing the actions taken by the Congress since 1985 to reduce the budget deficits.
Include some authoritative sources on the current debate between the White House and Congress on what measures are necessary to address spending and revenues, i.e. news reports, official statements, press conferences, as well as numerous government websites.
Suggested references:
Ashford University Online Library: AULIBRARY Ashford Online Library Congressional Budget Office
Government Fiscal Policy. Between 2007 and 2009 the U.S. economy experienced a severe recession. In an effort to stimulate the economy, the federal government passed a stimulus package. Explain the federal government's use of fiscal policy (the stimulus) to promote growth and employment. Support your ideas with concepts found in the assigned reading. Include the following in your response:
Discuss some actions taken by the federal government and whether the recession would have been longer and the unemployment rate higher if the government had not acted by passing the stimulus package?
If left alone, do you believe the economy would have corrected itself as suggested by Classical economic theory? Explain.
Discuss the effect these policies had on increasing the size of the budget deficits and the national debt.
Guided Response: Review the discussion board posts of your classmates. Respond to at least two of your classmates by agreeing or disagreeing with their posts. Support your ideas with concepts found in the assigned reading.
Budget Deficits and the National Debt. Between 2007 and 2011 the federal budget deficit grew from $160.7 billion to $1,299.6 billion, and the national debt grew from $8.9 trillion to $14.8 trillion. (Figure 10.1: The ratio of debt to GDP, 1977-2011.)
In your post, differentiate the budget deficit from the national debt. How do you think the increases in the budget deficits and the national debt will affect the economy in the future?
Guided Response: Review the discussion board posts of your classmates. Respond to at least two of your classmates with questions that allow them to extend their thinking. Support your ideas with concepts found in the assigned reading.