Budget deficits are pretty important to our future and that of our grandchildren mostly.

It is probably a bit early to begin discussion in specific terms because of pending budget and new laws, but in order to prepare and be ready to see how it develops, i offer this basic start.

Budget Deficit has decreased substantially in the last few years. Large increase in 2009 was due to the depression and getting us out of that.

Deficits in billions
2007 $161
2008 $$458
2009 $1413
2010 $1294
2011 $1295
2012 $1087
2013 $679
2014 $485
2015 $438
2016 $587



US Federal Deficit by Year - plus charts and analysis


This is a good site for getting information on actually how the deficit is doing.

Where we go from here will depend on a lot of things......here are a few good links to get some idea on projections at this point.

"Last Tuesday, a report showed U.S. gross domestic product grew 1.6 percent in 2016, the slowest since 2011.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. economy will grow at least 4 percent a year under his policies, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expects 3 percent growth. The administration also claims it can achieve that growth without boosting the U.S. budget deficit, because Washington will supposedly cut spending enough to offset reduced tax revenue.

Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said in February that the administration aims to offset a $54 billion increase in defense spending with reduced domestic spending. Trump's budget is expected next week.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/07/budge...lyst-says.html

"President Trump says that the United States’ persistent trade deficit is a scourge that must be eliminated. But new data Tuesday shows the complexity of the costs and benefits of trade — and how reducing the trade deficit, if not done right, could leave Americans worse off.

What really matters is not whether the trade deficit is rising or falling. What matters is why.

The trade deficit rose 9.6 percent in January, to the highest level since 2012 (though it remains lower as a share of the total economy). It’s in the details of that $48.5 billion gap between what the United States exported and what it imported, though, that you see why the economy is more complex than the “trade deficits are bad” framing of the Trump administration.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/u...head.html?_r=0

None of this will make a big difference as much will depend on what CONGRESS does and of course how much will the new health care bill cost the country.

That discussion will begin in earnest as soon as the CBO does its analysis and this is the site to read all about that....the CBO is mostly a very non partisan group....for the most part they offer not much dialogue but just the numbers and mostly pretty fairly done.

This link will allow checking to see what they do and all bills go through their office so if you really CARE about our deficit and budget you might want to save this site..

Health Care | Congressional Budget Office