There are really only two options to eliminate additional deficit spending and to eventually pay down the federal debt:
A.) The United States Federal government must do between 25% and 50% less. This doesn't just mean cutting wasteful spending. That means cuts that will hurt a lot of people. You can guarantee that there will be many many very loud and angry complaints. Infrastructure will suffer. Military readiness will suffer. The poor, disabled and elderly will suffer. It's not all roses and rainbows, it's going to hurt.
B.) Increase taxes significantly. This is also problematic because far too many Americans are just barely getting by on their current income. Some would say to just tax the rich. Putting all tax increases on the shoulders of corporations and the richest of Americans will inevitably backfire: Both will just move to another country because they can. So any realistic increase in revenue must hit small businesses and middle-class America very hard, and neither party wants these demographics as their political enemies.
Neither party is willing to put America through the excruciating pain that it will take to balance the budget, so the debt will keep going up until it crushes us.
You can't win elections on promises to do less and tax more.
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