...from the attached Investopedia link...
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Why Has the U.S. National Debt Grown?
While the U.S. national debt can increase and wane, economic strains such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Great Recession of 2008 have been contributors.
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When sanity returns to Congress (i.e. Rational Reps take control of their side of the House)...there needs to be negotiation on a package of tax increases (e.g. on those incomes >$400K), and focused spending cuts...
btw, here's a history of our Debt to GDP ratio...
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/government-debt-to-gdp#:~:text=Government%20Debt%20to%20GDP%20in,percent%20of%20GDP%20in%201981.
Link: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/11/successful-ways-government-reduces-debt.asp