To the editor:

In response to Roger Baumann’s letter on 6/4/21

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to eliminate the nation’s debt in eight years. When he took office in January 2017, the national debt stood at $19.9 trillion. In October 2020, the national debt reached a new high of $27 trillion. That was an increase of almost 36% in less than four years.

On September 8, 2017, Trump increased the debt ceiling. Later that day, the debt exceeded $20 trillion for the first time in U.S. history.

On February 9, 2018, Trump signed a bill suspending the debt ceiling until March 1, 2019.

By February 2019, the total national debt was at $22 trillion.

In July 2019, Trump suspended the debt ceiling until after the 2020 presidential election.

On October 1, 2020, the debt hit a new record of $27 trillion.

According to The World Bank. The U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio at the end of 2020 was 129%. The World Bank considers a country to be in trouble if that ratio is higher than 77%. The Trump administration added 7.1 trillion to the U.S. dept.

Have people forgotten that the Trump administration added significantly to the nation’s debt in four years? We do have to pay that money back.

After four years of Trump’s spending, the Republicans suddenly became fiscally conservative again on January 20, 2021, only after the Democratic president took office.

Doesn’t everyone living in the US need and deserve a functioning government? One that will cooperate and do the people’s work?

Holding the whole country back to stop Biden from accomplishments is the GOP plan. They used this same plan on Obama. Then the Trump administration didn’t have an infrastructure plan.

It’s time for the GOP to get back to work. Do something, solve something, show some responsibility.

Lisa Haney

Marshall