From National Debt to Budget Deficits, America’s Fiscal Health Absent From Election: Economists

‘Setting a course for improved fiscal health will be challenging,’ said Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at North Trust.

(Left) Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 2024. (Right) Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump in Flint, Mich., on Sept. 17, 2024. Win McNamee, Scott Olson/Getty Images

America’s fiscal health, from the national debt to the budget deficit, is not a priority for the presidential candidates in this year’s election, say economists.

The national debt currently stands at $35.324 trillion, up by nearly $8 trillion from January 2021. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates it is poised to top $50 trillion in the next decade.