An even bigger question mark hovers over what might be the greatest national security concern of all: the federal budget deficit. Failure to address the deficit (and the mounting debt) will create pressures to reduce what the US spends on foreign aid, intelligence, and defense – although Republicans are more likely than Democrats to protect such spending (except for foreign aid).
而一个更重要的问题则是所谓最大的国家安全问题：联邦债务赤字。如果无法解决赤字（以及不断堆积的债务）的话，那么美国的对外援助，情报和国防事务都将面临巨大的压力——即便共和党人比民主党人更倾向于维持这部分经费（对外援助除外）。