
A number of times in US history the public debt has surged in relation to the total incomes of the country (equal to the Gross Domestic Product, or GDP). In the past 150 years, the public debt in the USA has been found to be the result of many things, but fundamentally it has been the result of growing public budget deficits. In turn, the deficits have most often been seen to be less the result of massive increases in government spending and having more to do with a shortfall in tax receipts during wartime or severe recessions.[1] However, at certain times, such as in World War II and today, government expenditure is growing rapidly, contributing the larger share of the deficit.

The 1943 debt shock

New US debt shock
In 2009, the debt of the US Treasury is again reported to be surging. Following the sharp reduction of US housing prices and widespread defaults on risky mortgage loans, most US financial institutions have collapsed and the US government has had to sharply increase expenditure to prevent the collapse of the US financial system and an implosion of the economic system. At the same time, an economic recession is underway, which will result in a sharp contraction of tax receipts. The net effect of all this is ballooning deficits and surging debt levels.
US Debt on a sharply rising trend

Obama budget projected at $9.3 trillion in next 10 years
March 20, 2009
WASHINGTON (IHT): President Barack Obama's budget proposals, if carried out, would produce a staggering $9.3 trillion in total deficits over the next decade, much more than the White House has predicted, the Congressional Budget Office said on Friday. The office's estimates of deficits in the fiscal years 2010 through 2019 "exceed those anticipated by the administration by $2.3 trillion." The deficits under the Obama plan would be $4.9 trillion more than the projected deficits if there were no changes in current laws and policies — what the nonpartisan budget office calls its baseline assumption.[2]
US Congress budget office sees $1.8 trln deficit
Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:51pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional budget experts on Friday offered a darker economic and budget outlook, projecting a breathtaking $1.8 trillion deficit this year, which could complicate President Barack Obama's efforts to win passage of his $3.55 trillion budget for 2010. [3]
The 2009 debt shock

Source
[1] Noll, Franklin. "The United States Public Debt, 1861 to 1975", EH Net Encyclopedia, March 16, 2008.
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/noll.publicdebt
[2] Obama budget projected at $9.3 trillion in next 10 years
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/20/business/Obama-Budget.php
[3] US Congress budget office sees $1.8 trln deficit
http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN2049806720090320
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