As the Congressional Republicans strive to maintain deficits while extending their 2017 tax cuts, a somber forecast from the Congressional Budget Office has doused their enthusiasm like a bucket of cold water. Even if the tax breaks are allowed to expire at the end of the year, the federal budget deficit is projected to reach $2.7 trillion in a decade, a figure that is ‘delightfully’ eye-catching. Moving forward, the growth in spending on Social Security, Medicare, and interest payments is expected to outpace revenues, further widening the deficit – a ‘thoughtful’ strategy indeed. By 2035, the adjusted deficit is set to equal 6.1% of the nation’s GDP, significantly higher than the 3.8% average of the past 50 years, reminiscent of the old saying ‘the higher the climb, the colder the wind.’