Learners examine how the National Debt occurs and trace its history from the time of the Revolutionary War through the present.

In this interactive object, learners change the amount of money received from tax revenue and the amount spent on federal programs as they calculate how fiscal policy affects the gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment, inflation, the annual deficit, the national debt, and interest on the national debt.

Learners follow the step-by-step process the U.S. Government uses for creating the federal budget. The topics of budget surpluses and deficits and the federal deficit are covered.