South By North Strategies, Ltd.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) has published an interactive calculator that allows users to see how various policy measures would increase or decrease the total national debt, measured as a share of gross domestic product (GDP), outstanding in 2020.

Unlike similar calculators, which often present cutting Medicare benefits or raising the Social Security retirement age as the only options, CEPR’s calculator offers a broader menu of spending and revenue policies. The calculator also contains explanations of policy proposals and provides context for judging various ratios of debt to GDP.

This calculator is an excellent, fun tool for better understanding the policy arguments about the national debt.