The U.S. national debt is hurtling toward an unprecedented $39 trillion — and it’s growing so fast it can barely be measured.
According to the latest Treasury Department data, total federal debt now stands near $38.5 trillion, up sharply from $37.64 trillion at the end of 2025.
That means the nation added roughly $2.17 trillion in new debt in just one year.
The pace is staggering. Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee estimate the debt is rising by about $71,800 every second.
The surge comes as Congress once again faces a looming funding deadline, with current appropriations set to expire at the end of the month.
Lawmakers are scrambling to pass a spending bill and avert another government shutdown — an all-too-familiar Washington standoff with trillion-dollar consequences.
As borrowing accelerates and fiscal deadlines pile up, the debt clock keeps ticking, pushing the United States closer to a financial milestone no nation has ever reached — and raising fresh questions about how long the world’s largest economy can sustain it.
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