TOPIC 1. Access this online resource to play a game mimicking the balancing of the Federal Budget. Go to http://www.federalbudgetchallenge.org/ and take the challenge of balancing the budget. The goal of the Federal Budget Challenge is to reduce the amount of annual deficits over the next 10 years. Your starting point will be the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)'s estimate for these deficits under current law - assuming Congress and the President pass no legislation over that time. You need to play it few times until you finish with your 10 year budget projection with 3 Trillion dollar or less in deficit. Share your results at the discussion board. Explain how you are able to reduce deficit and the challenges have faced in making budget decisions. What are the trade- offs of your decisions? Also, visit the following websites for most recent U.S. budget information. 2. Real Time U.S. National Debt Clock: https://www.usdebtclock.org/ 3. USA Spenging Fiscal Data Lab: https://datalab.usaspending.gov/americas-finance-guide/ 4. The 2020 Long-Term Budget Outlook by the Congressional Budget Office: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/56516 5. Options for Reducing the Deficit by the Congressional Budget Office: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/52142 6. The U.S. budget deficit is rising amid COVID-19, but public concern about it is falling by Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/08/13/the-u-s-budget- deficit-is-rising-amid-covid-19-but-public-concern-about-it-is-falling/ 7. Little Public Support for Reductions in Federal Spending by Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/04/11/little-public- support-for-reductions-in-federal-spending/