The U.S. National Debt Under President Bill Clinton

Term: 1993–2001

Deficit Reduction and the Era of Surpluses

Bill Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, combining spending cuts with tax increases on higher-income earners. This coincided with the "dot-com" boom, which generated massive tax revenues. In 1998, the U.S. recorded its first budget surplus since 1969.

The Debt in Numbers

Debt at Start of Term (1993): ~$4.41 trillion

Debt at End of Term (2001): ~$5.80 trillion

Total Increase: ~$1.39 trillion

Percentage Increase: ~32%

While publicly held debt was reduced by $363 billion between 1998-2000, the total debt still increased due to money owed to government trust funds like Social Security.