Give students a look at how much money the U.S. government spends, takes in, and how that's varied in recent history.

We hear about the national deficit quite often. And when you're dealing with trillions of dollars, it can be hard to really comprehend what it actually looks like. This interactive infographic from the Congressional Budget Office allows users to get a visualization of the money the government spends, the money it takes in, and how the relationship between those two figures has varied over time.

Questions:

• The government spent more money than it earned in 2023. Why do you think this happened? What might it mean for the future?
• Most of the government's money goes to programs that help people, like Social Security and Medicare. Why is this important? How does it help people?
• The government has to pay a lot of money in interest because it borrowed money. Why is borrowing money expensive? How does it affect other things the government wants to do?
• The government gets money from taxes. What are some types of taxes you know about? How do taxes help pay for things we need?
• If you could decide how the government spends its money, what would you spend more on? What would you spend less on? Why?

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Looking for more interactive resources? Be sure to check out the NGPF Interactive Library. 

About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan grew up with and maintains a love for learning. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in Business Administration and worked in sports marketing for a number of years. After living in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and Minnesota, the call of education eventually brought Ryan back to his home state of Wisconsin where he was a Business and Marketing teacher for three years. In his free time he likes to spend time with his wife and daughter, play basketball, read, and go fishing. Now with NGPF, Ryan is excited to help teachers lead the most important course their students will ever take.