Deficits and interest costs narrow budget choices

Recent coverage cites a FY2026 deficit near $2 trillion and source-specific estimates that the 2025 tax-and-spending law adds $4.7 trillion to deficits, with net interest reaching $2.14 trillion by 2036. Other coverage puts publicly held debt at 100.03% of GDP and net interest at about 19.5% of revenue; definitions should be checked. A columnist’s allocation of the imbalance to health programs, Social Security, and the 2025 law reflects its own accounting, while a high-yield CBO scenario is not a baseline projection.