Net interest on the national debt cost $227 billion in 2011. It consumed 6.4 percent of the annual budget and ranked as Washington’s sixth largest spending category – after Social Security, defense, income security (such as food stamps and welfare), Medicare, and other health spending. But when you think of interest as a percentage of total federal outlays, we’ve had it worse.
Click on today’s infographic for more – and to see how things would change if we ran down every tax cheat. Then join the discussion below. How much debt makes you sweat?
