Should the United States focus on paying off the national debt? Why or why not?

This question of course has many different perspectives, and many of them are well-informed. It is a very complicated question. The simple answer is no. National debt can be a crippling problem for an economy. It can prevent the government from taking certain actions, cause market volatility, and potentially create periods of great austerity for future generations. Additionally, the larger the debt grows the higher the chance of a default, which would most likely lead to an economic crisis. 

However, making the debt the focus would be a mistake from most political perspectives. Personal finance is not the same as macroeconomics. By focusing primarily on cutting spending and reducing the debt, the federal government would be sucking money out of the economy. It would have to cut millions of jobs and defund hundreds of job-creating programs in areas such as public works and the military. Alternatively, the government could raise taxes, which would decrease consumer spending and hurt the economy. Both major parties have plans to reduce the debt. Democrats tend to focus on raising taxes, while Republicans tend to focus on cutting government programs (excluding the military). Either tactic generally slows the economy. The solution is most likely a combination of both tactics. The difficult part is reducing the debt in a soft and careful way that does not cause economic downturn. 

Despite disagreements, most experts agree that the government should focus on the overall health of the economy, with a secondary concern for paying down debt. This allows the economy to remain healthy and continue to enable both future spending and future debt payments. The ratio of economic stimulus and economic austerity is of course very controversial, but most experts agree a healthy economy is the most important factor.