#USNationalDebt The growing debt of the United States is the result of a simple calculation: each year, there is a gap between spending and revenue.

When the federal government spends more than it receives, it must borrow to fill this annual deficit. And each year, this deficit adds to our growing national debt.

Historically, the largest deficits have been caused by increases in spending related to national emergencies such as major wars or the Great Depression.

Today, deficits are primarily caused by predictable structural factors: the aging of the baby boomer generation, rising healthcare costs, increasing interest rates, and a tax system that does not bring in enough money to fund the government's promises to its citizens. In the future, it will be crucial for American leaders to address the rising debt and its structural factors, described below.