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Democrat controlled Congress increased national debt 23%

By: Dan Spencer (Diary)  |  January 5th, 2009 at 04:01 AM  | 

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When the Democrats regained control of Congress on January 4, 2007, the national debt was $8,670,596,242,973.04 — that’s $8.67 trillion.

In the two years Pelosi and the Democrats have been in charge, the national debt has grown to $10,699,804,864,612.13 — that’s $10.70 trillion.

Since Pelosi and the Democrats regained control of Congress $2,029,208,621,639.09, or $2.03 trillion, has been added to the national debt. That is a 23% increase in two years the Democrats have controlled Congress.

The Democrat controlled Congress gets the credit for the soaring national debt because under the Constitution Congress controls the purse strings:

Article I, Section. 8.
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

Be sure to thank your Congress critters for a job well done — a 23% increase in two years.

Just Wait until Congress adds Obama’s $800 billion bailout boondoggle to our $10.70 trillion national debt.

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COMMENTS

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  • Rod_Patrick

    I just don’t know to whom the MSM will put the blame on in the next 4 years.

    • itdiehard

      will be blamed for not working with the Democrat…

      • Rod_Patrick

        It will happen that way unless we clearly make a distinction of our own proposed policies and programs from those that the Obama Administration will actually be implementing and instituting. It’s really time to call a spade a spade.

        And this is the reason why the idea of “bipartisanship” in the dark age of Obamanation will not work out well for the Republicans and Conservatives. Out of such bipartisan actions, the Dems will take all the credits for the “good outcomes” and will blame all the “failures” to the Republicans, regardless whether the Reps/Cons support or oppose the Dems’ policies and actions.

  • bk

    The economy under Clinton only got better after the GOP took control of Congress, and it went to pot under Bush after the Dems took control.

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens
  • http://conservablogs.com/publiusforum/ Warner Todd Huston

    Exactly the sort of news the GOP should be using to its advantage.

    • mikefisk

      My only concern about it was that the Republicans in Congress, with a few notable exceptions, were every bit as gung-ho about ballooning the deficit as the Republicans.

      I guess it goes back to the old saying, though… Republicans sometimes (usually?) break their campaign promises once elected. Democrats always do.

      • mikefisk

        *every bit as gung-ho as the Democrats…

        Apparently my internal editor called in drunk.

      • liandro

        a lot more positives to spending then to cutting. That wouldn’t be an issue if more of them on both sides had character…alas.

  • nricciar

    2000 to 2007 debt increased by 3 trillion dollars or more than half the original starting amount, and 2007 to present it has increased by 2 trillion or about 1/4th the starting amount.

    Looks like both sides are horribly at fault. It is just a matter of degrees.

    Although I think the most interesting bit of information is how it took us hundreds of years to get to 5 trillion, and only 9 years to double it.

  • davod

    I heard almost no criticsm of the two year Democratic congress from our Presidential candidate. In fact, the average person probably thought the Republicans were in charge of everything.

    • AHALgal

      Today needs to begin the public relations onslaught of the House Republicans. Start with Pelosi’s rules changes: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30143 and follow-up with deficit spending from the 110th Congress. Their approach to the 111th Congress needs to be to CUT, CUT, CUT spending.

      As the minority party, PR is very critical and that war needs to start today. Americans of many stripes are mad at their government. Show some passion and provide better alternatives.

  • AnnaD

    This is not a good issue for Republicans, since the national debt rose from 5.5 trillion to 8.7 trillion under a Republican president who had a Republican Congress for 4 of his 8 years. Going forward, Republicans should oppose all unnecessary spending or at least vote “Present.”

    • Moe Lane

      Good to know.

    • bs

      Maybe we should try that. It seems to have worked out for The One.

  • DRP

    Would you mind linking the sources you used for the numbers? I’m interested in the math-side of stuff like this, so when I present arguments I can back it up with more detailed figures.

    • DRP

      I could not be an idiot and actually click the URL in the post.

      Whoops.

  • Mercury821

    Correlation does not imply causation.

    • Aaron Gardner

      The dem votes to increase Federal Expenditures is the cause of the Federal Debt rising.

      I think it is your logic that is failing.