For most of the 2010s, U.S. energy use remained fairly flat after growing for decades. A recent spike in energy consumption since 2017 (discounting a COVID-era brief decline) has led many experts to speculate that the cause of this increase is the proliferation of powerful but energy-intensive Artificial Intelligence (AI) computing technologies. Everything Policy researchers dug in to learn more about what’s happening and what to expect in the coming decade.

Every few years, Republicans and Democrats clash over raising the national debt limit. They issue warnings about the consequences of not raising the limit—known as default—and argue over whether increases should come with spending cuts, tax hikes, or other policy adjustments. For Americans, this drama raises the question: Why does the U.S. have a national debt—and how can we manage it?

If one billion dollars is equal to a school bus filled to the brim with $100 bills, the United States’ annual budget is equal to about 6,300 school buses. These funds pay for everything from keeping parks open and building new highways to unemployment benefits, the President’s salary, and the military’s tanks, planes, ships, and soldiers. At the same time, the United States has a budget deficit, meaning that more than a thousand of those school buses are filled with money that the government borrows to pay its bills. Where did this budget deficit come from? Does it matter? What needs to happen to reduce it?