The U.S. national debt officially crossed 100% of GDP this week. Public debt hit $31.27 trillion against a GDP of $31.22 trillion — a debt-to-GDP ratio of 100.2%.
The last time America was here was 1946, right after we'd spent everything we had to win the deadliest conflict in human history. But in 1946, we had a young population, booming industrial capacity, and decades of strong growth ahead of us. The debt shrank naturally because we grew our way out of it.
Today? We have an aging population, structurally rising entitlement costs, and the CBO projecting the debt will hit 120% of GDP by 2036. We didn't get here by winning a war or investing in the future. We got here because neither party has the discipline or the courage to balance a budget.
Republicans cut taxes without cutting spending. Democrats expand programs without funding them. Both sides point fingers. Nobody fixes it. And the interest payments alone — money we're paying just to service the debt, not to build anything or help anyone — are now larger than the entire defense budget.
This isn't a partisan issue. This is math. And the math doesn't care which party you vote for.
The Common Sense Party believes the budget must balance. Not eventually. Not in theory. Actually balance. If you want to spend, show where the money comes from. If you want to cut taxes, show what you'll cut to pay for it. Read our full fiscal responsibility position at commonsenseforamerica.org/platform/fiscal-responsibility.