Statement by Maya MacGuineas on President’s National Debt Comments

Today, President Trump said the national debt went down $12 billion in the first month of his presidency. Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said the following:

It is true the debt outstanding declined by $12 billion in the first month of Donald Trump’s presidency. We applaud the president for focusing on the debt as an important metric of success and economic health, but would point out that the improvement this early in his term has to do with normal fluctuations in spending and revenues rather than new policies he has implemented.
 
Going forward, the president will be accountable for his plans to bring down the debt, and we look forward to seeing the debt path he proposes in his forthcoming budget. He has been critical of the run up in the debt in the past, and we assume and hope his budget will have a plan to shrink our country’s debt, not grow it.
 
Our economy’s debt is one of the most important metrics of the nation’s health, and a reasonable fiscal plan based on realistic economic projections will be a critical piece of a comprehensive plan to grow the economy and help American families. 

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For more information contact Patrick Newton, Press Secretary, at newton@crfb.org.