Final answer:
The size of the federal debt in 20 years would be approximately $28.66 trillion.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the size of the federal debt in 20 years, we can use the formula for compound interest. The federal debt increases at an annual rate of 3%. We can use the formula A = P(1 + r)^n, where A is the future value, P is the present value, r is the interest rate, and n is the number of years.
In this case, the present value (P) is $17 trillion, the interest rate (r) is 3% or 0.03, and the number of years (n) is 20. Plugging these values into the formula, we get A = 17 trillion x (1 + 0.03)^20.
Calculating this, we find that the size of the debt in 20 years would be approximately $28.66 trillion.