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National DebtThe national debt is the total amount of money the federal government has borrowed, plus interest. This borrowed money supplements taxpayer dollars to fund government operations, from national defense to welfare programs. The US has accrued debt since its infancy. Only seven years into nationhood, debts from the Revolutionary War totaled $43M. Where and how much the nation should cut spending in order to rein in debt is an ongoing political debate. In recent years, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 2008 recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased the national debt. An aging population coupled with the high price of healthcare—plus global threats like pandemics, wars, and natural disasters—are all contributing to the national debt’s rise.Explore National Debt

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The US national debt is is currently equal to roughly 125% of its GDPAs of 2025, the US debt was roughly $37.6T. Interest costs alone are forecast to reach $952B this year. Visual Capitalist The national debt is the total amount the US government owes its creditorsThis US Treasury page explains what the national debt is, how it accumulates from annual deficits, and why rising debt can affect interest costs, fiscal flexibility, and long-term economic stability. Treasury.gov The US national debt has become more important in recent monthsIn a moment of deep economic uncertainty, the national debt now matters more than ever. Listen to this podcast to find out why and also explore answers to questions like, "Who does the US owe money to and why?" Search Engine Key moments that shaped the national debt include the Civil War, both World Wars, the 2008 recession, and the COVID-19 pandemicThe US national debt has grown alongside wars, recessions, and policy shifts—from $75M after the Revolutionary War to over $34T today. This visual timeline walks through key moments that shaped the debt. 1440 Tax policy can have a direct impact on the national debtPast presidents' changes to tax codes have inflated the deficit. An expert on the topic explains the interplay between policy and the national budget while debunking 10 tax-related myths in this podcast. Freakonomics A venture capitalist argues that baby boomers raised the national debtIn his book "A Generation of Sociopaths," venture capitalist Bruce Cannon Gibney places blame for the nation’s rising debt squarely in the hands of baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964. They’ve failed to address long-term issues, focusing only on present consumption to the detriment of future generations, he says. Maclean's The national debt is growing at a faster rate than the economy“The federal government faces an unsustainable fiscal future,” according to this bleak 2025 report on the nation’s budget from the US Government Accountability Office. If unaddressed, the country’s debt could double its gross domestic product, warns the nonpartisan agency. For individuals, this may mean stagnant wages, higher borrowing costs, and more expensive goods. US Government Accountability Office Some economists argue the national debt is not a critical concernThe US has the largest national debt and one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. These vitals have long been considered a sign of poor fiscal health, but economists are beginning to shift their attention to interest rates to evaluate national debt. Bloomberg Quicktake The national debt consists of public debt and intragovernmental debtThe national debt consists of money owed to private investors who have purchased Treasury securities and money owed by one sector of the government to another. They’re respectively called public debt and intragovernmental debt. US Department of the Treasury Treasury bonds, notes, and bills are critical vehicles for the federal government to raise money for public expenses and manage the national debtFor investors, they're all usually considered low-risk options since they’re backed by the federal government. Investopedia Andrew Jackson was the first and only president to eliminate the national debtAfter Jackson slashed spending and began selling federal land, the government was accumulating more money than it was spending. The situation was unprecedented, but it didn’t last. Too much money was being printed and land prices rose to unsustainable levels. Within a year, the economy tumbled into a depression. NPR The national debt of the US has been trending upward for over a centuryThe national debt of the US fluctuates. A federally managed database is updated daily and shows how the debt constantly changes over a 24-hour period. It’s broken down by what the government owes individual investors (debt held by the public) and what’s due to one sector of the government by another (intragovernmental holdings). US Department of the Treasury Does Social Security contribute to the national debt?Social Security operates through a trust fund built from payroll taxes. When costs outpace revenue, as they have since 2021, the program redeems Treasury bonds to cover the gap. To repay these bonds, the government often borrows more money, indirectly adding to the national debt and impacting fiscal policy. 1440 The trillion-dollar coin is a proposed platinum coin with a face value of $1T, which could be used to reduce the national debtThis conceptual strategy was first proposed in 2011 as a potential alternative to raising the US debt ceiling. Although there were several high-profile proponents of the idea, it was eventually rejected in 2013 by Treasury Department and Federal Reserve officials. Investopedia Total national debt as of yesterdayDebt to the Penny is the total debt of the U.S. government and is reported daily. It is made up of intragovernmental holdings and debt held by the public. U.S. Department of the Treasury The US national debt is over $31TThe US national debt is at its highest level ever. Learn how the national debt grew to that level and what it means for US economic growth with charts and simple explanations. The Balance The national debt dilemma 101Catch up on the history of the national debt and how it's impacting today's partisan and financial debates with this official backgrounder from the Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations Alaska has the highest lifetime credit card debt of all US states at $484,620That's 21.8% above the national average, partly due to Alaska's high cost of living and remote nature, which makes shipping in food and fuel more expensive. Iowa had the lowest average lifetime credit card debt out of all the states in the US at $319,740. Visual Capitalist Two invasive termite species are threatening Florida homesAsian subterranean and Formosan subterranean termites have been found in northern and coastal counties, respectively. About half of all structures in the urban South Florida metropolitan area could be at risk of infestation by one or both species by 2040. Phys.org Hamilton created the First Bank of the United StatesAs Treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton proposed the First Bank of the United States to stabilize national finances—serving as the government's fiscal agent, managing debt, and expanding credit through a public-private banking model. Investopedia The Compromise of 1790 broke a deadlock over debt and the national capitalIn 1790, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson reached an agreement that allowed Congress to assume the states' war debts and to approve a permanent national capital on the Potomac River. American Battlefield Trust Hamilton built the foundations of the US financial system as the nation's first Treasury secretaryAppointed the nation's first Treasury secretary in 1789 by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton designed a powerful federal finance system—repaying war debts, creating new taxes, founding a national bank, and promoting economic development. US Treasury The Lincoln-Douglas debates sharpened the national divide over slaveryIn 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Senator Stephen Douglas debated while competing for an Illinois Senate seat. Their seven debates, reprinted nationwide, brought the question of slavery to the forefront—further polarizing the country and propelling Lincoln to national prominence. National Constitution Center A detective foiled an assassination plot against Lincoln before his inaugurationIn February 1861, detective Allan Pinkerton uncovered a plot to kill Abraham Lincoln en route to his inauguration. Lincoln secretly altered his travel plans and sneaked into Washington DC to take the oath of office. Pinkerton later founded the well-known Pinkerton's National Detective Agency. Pinkerton An in-depth analysis of August National, the home of the MastersThis in-depth analysis of August National Gold Club, the famed site of the annual Masters Tournament, breaks down the course's complex greens and tricky layout. Golf Digest editor Luke Kerr-Dineen walks viewers through the course's green book, demonstrating just how difficult Augusta is compared to other courses. More than anything, it gives you some context to better understand why your favorite golfers might struggle with the course's punishing slopes. Golf Digest US tipped employees receive the ‘subminimum wage’ of $2.13, unchanged since 1991Tipped employees (anyone who makes $30+ per month in tips) are not federally entitled to a traditional minimum wage. Customers determine their earnings. The National Restaurant Association believes that if restaurant owners are forced to pay above the subminimum wage for tipped workers, restaurants could be forced to close. Spotify A list of the world's top 25 economies by GDPGross domestic product estimates the value of goods and services produced in a country, typically through the expenditure method, which adds up spending by consumers, investors and governments with the value of exports. The top five economies are the US, China, Germany, Japan and India. Investopedia The Erie Canal transformed New York City into America’s banking capitalBy redirecting western trade through New York Harbor, the canal turned New York into the nation’s commercial hub. This surge in commerce shifted financial power from Philadelphia to Wall Street, establishing the city as America’s banking capital. Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia View a gallery of diagrams for each volcano type with glossariesThe three major types of volcanoes—cinder cone, composite, and shield—each exhibit unique, lesser-known subterranean and surface features, including lava bombs, lahars, and spatter. Other types of volcanoes include lava domes, calderas, fissure volcanoes, and Maars and tuff rings. National Park Service The San Andreas Fault is an example of tectonic plates sliding past each otherThe transform boundary divides the opposing movements of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, which create shear zones that distort and fracture rock. These movements produce shallow earthquakes as rocks are gradually displaced hundreds of miles. National Park Service 12th-century English monks claimed discovery of King Arthur's bonesThe medieval legend of King Arthur and his Queen, Guinevere, is one of the most popular to endure into the modern era. The legend regularly evolved during the Middle Ages, as is seen in this story where a historian from King Henry the Second's court claims the bones of Arthur were discovered at Glastonbury Abbey. Medievalists.net OPEC has grown from five to 12 members since 1960OPEC’s official members page features profiles for all 12 current member countries—Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Venezuela—detailing their joining history, national data, and links to individual country pages. OPEC Zachary Taylor became a national hero during the Mexican-American WarGeneral Zachary Taylor led US forces to key victories in northern Mexico, earning widespread fame for his leadership. His popularity from the war propelled him to the presidency in 1848. American History Hit Manifest destiny fueled US aggression against MexicoThe belief that the United States had a divine right to expand westward—known as manifest destiny—justified President Polk’s push for territorial conquest. It shaped public support for the Mexican-American War and framed the invasion as national destiny. Daily Dose Documentary The United States faces a sizeable teacher shortageTeacher vacancies have surged since 2017, with each year opening more positions than hires. Educators are quitting in record numbers, citing low pay and burnout. Today, there are 567,000 fewer education professionals than before the pandemic. National Education Association The clearest sign of a recession is a steady increase of job losses and high unemploymentThe National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) looks at six key economic indicators, including industrial production, to determine when the economy is experiencing a recession. CBS News The US has been through 34 recessions since 1854From 1855 to 2020, the average US recession lasted for an average of 17 months. But in the 20th and 21st centuries, the average recession length has shortened, decreasing to 14 months. USAFacts An S-1 reveals financial and other details to the public, often for the first time, when filing for an IPOTo file for an IPO, a company must file a registration form called an S-1 or prospectus with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. S-1s detail a company's current business model, competitive landscape, and other financial information. Investopedia Try to balance the budgetThis interactive calculator challenges users to rebalance the federal budget by adjusting taxes and spending. Try your hand at weighing difficult trade-offs that shape long-term deficits, debt growth, and the sustainability of US public finances. America Off Balance The federal deficit is the gap between what the US spends and what it collectsThis US Treasury page explains how the federal deficit occurs when annual spending exceeds revenue, shows the current fiscal-year shortfall, and tracks how deficits rise and fall with economic conditions and policy choices. Treasury.gov Microplastics are everywhere and pose growing risks to wildlife and ecosystemsThese tiny plastic particles come from intentionally small items and the breakdown of larger plastic debris, ending up in soil, air, and water. A study of 37 US National Park beaches found microfibers at every site, making up 97% of all microplastic debris. NOAA Why countries have credit ratingsSovereign credit ratings work like national credit scores, measuring a country’s ability and willingness to repay its debt. Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch are the major agencies assigning these ratings, which influence borrowing costs and investor confidence. 1440 Minting a coin that can pay off the federal debt has been proposed as a quick fix to rampant borrowingIt’s uncertain how financial markets would react to such a large cash injection. Some economists warn it could trigger massive inflation. Others say the nation needs a clean slate. Marketplace DOGE's claim of saving more than $64B lacks evidenceIn the first month of President Donald Trump’s second term, his new Department of Government Efficiency celebrated slashing billions in federal spending and chopping away at the national debt. An article from the Poynter Institute’s fact-checking website digs into the numbers to investigate these claims. PolitiFact The debt ceiling is the threshold Congress sets for federal borrowingIf the US reaches this limit and Congress doesn’t pass a bill to raise it, the government cannot repay its debts. Suddenly, investors would lose assurance that the Treasury would make good on its securities, which have long been considered the safest type of investment. The Wall Street Journal The federal government has spent more money annually than it has collected every year since 2022The government borrows money to cover this deficit, which increases the national debt. It’s the fourth most expensive spending category in the US budget. US Department of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton consolidated states' debts, implemented a tax system, and established a national bankWhile the US was only 12 years old when Alexander Hamilton was tapped as the first secretary of the Treasury, it already owed almost $80M. With the country bringing in just $4.4M in taxes, that was not nearly enough to cover government operations and pay debts. Smithsonian Magazine Critics say that the Electoral College is outdated and favors small statesThis article argues that the Electoral College no longer reflects modern democratic norms, disproportionately advantages smaller states, and warrants broader reform and national debate. (Some readers may experience a paywall.) Vox If the US government paid off its debt, it could disrupt the entire bond marketTreasury bonds are some of the most common bonds for investors, and the majority of the national debt is in bonds. CNBC Watch city kids encounter the national parksPart of Ken Burns’ "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea" film series, this video follows students from Las Vegas and Miami as they visit national parks. In Death Valley, the students get hands-on lessons in geology, while in Biscayne, they canoe through secluded groves and past coral reefs. PBS

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