The United States’ gross national debt crossed $39 trillion on Tuesday, a grim new threshold that a prominent fiscal watchdog says reflects decades of irresponsibility from both Republicans and Democrats — with no signs that Washington is ready to change course.
“Surpassing $39 trillion in gross debt is an embarrassing milestone that both parties have helped build over decades, and neither seems particularly interested in addressing it before we hit $40 trillion,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget , in a statement released Wednesday.
The figure, confirmed by the U.S. Treasury, marks a rapid escalation in the nation’s fiscal slide. The debt stood at $38 trillion as recently as late October of last year — meaning Washington added a full $1 trillion in gross debt in less than five months. Debt held by the public, the measure most closely tracked by economists, has separately surpassed $31 trillion for the first time. The numbers paint a portrait of a government living far beyond its means.
https://fortune.com/2026/03/18/39-trillion-national-debt-embarrassing-milestone-headed-wrong-direction/
Posted by fortune
4 Comments
40 is a nice round number. How many weeks away?
News flash, he doesn’t fucking care. He never did. Any plan to cut down the national debt that doesn’t include raising taxes AND cutting spending is not a real plan and most children can understand that concept.
People voted for this
Clinton had his flaws but at least he knew how to balance a budget