The “deficit” (or surplus) is an annual figure based on how much more (or less) the government spent as compared to income for that fiscal year. The National Debt is the accumulated total of all deficits and surpluses to date. The current national debt is over $7 trillion.

National Debt

Corrected for inflation

Does the jump over the last 20 some years bother you? It does me. Who is to blame? The House and Senate for passing the bills that spend so much money and the Presidents who signed those bills. Want to do something about this? Write to the White House, your Senator, and your Representative in the House and tell them to change this unacceptable situation. If their votes don’t reflect more fiscal responsibiltity, vote them out.

Data source: http://www.brillig.com/