VIEWPOINT | Trump’s economic tariff gamble risks America’s future

Guest column by Dale Froehlich, a retired attorney from Sioux Falls

For years, Republican leaders have hammered Democrats over the rising federal deficit, blaming excessive spending and big-government programs. But now, under President Trump and a Republican-led Congress, that same deficit is ballooning — driven not by social programs or infrastructure, but by sweeping tax cuts, military expansion and costly trade wars. The numbers are staggering, and the double standard is hard to ignore.

President Trump and Congressional leaders are extending the 2017 “Trump Tax Cuts” (over $5 trillion) and adding $3.8 trillion (all as projected over the next 10 years). These expenses are offset by projected federal revenues from a growing economy, new federal tariffs and other “fees”. Many experts predict that the federal budget deficit will approach $40 trillion by the end of Trump’s term.

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