US National Debt Tops $40 Trillion as Persistent Deficits Force Hard Fiscal Choices
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 22
US National Debt Tops $40 Trillion as Persistent Deficits Force Hard Fiscal Choices
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 22
Summary
$40 trillion in U.S. national debt marks a new threshold that could soon force lawmakers into politically painful budget and tax decisions.
Years of federal spending outpacing tax revenue drove the buildup, with annual deficits adding to the debt gradually at first and then in larger jumps.
Those choices are expected to leave few Americans untouched, underscoring that the long-warned fiscal reckoning is moving from abstract risk to immediate policy pressure.