Obama reduced the National Deficit in his first term as US president. At the end of Fiscal Year 2009, the Congressional Budget Office placed the US National Deficit at 1.19 trillion. At the end of FY 2012, they placed it at 1.09 trillion. Obama has been spending less than a lot of other presidents. When he first took office, with democratic majority in congress, the Pay As You Go Act was passed. This act mandates that all new spending has to be offset with cuts to existing spending, or with new revenues. My contribution to this thread is done, for now.