US gross national debt tops $40tn for first time

Read the original at The Guardian ↗
Cite

Aratani, L. (2026, August 20). US gross national debt tops $40tn for first time. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/19/us-debt-40-trillion

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-08-20 · by Lauren Aratani

Quick Summary

The US Treasury Department announced that the country's gross national debt has surpassed $40 trillion for the first time, reaching a record high of $40.047 trillion as of Tuesday afternoon. The debt has grown by over $8.4 trillion under Donald Trump and $4.3 trillion under Joe Biden, with a significant portion going towards Covid-19 relief spending. In fiscal year 2026, an additional $1.8 trillion has been added to the debt, largely due to tariff refunds totaling $100 billion. Economists warn that this high level of debt can exacerbate inflation and squeeze out other budget priorities.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-20, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

The US has surpassed $40 trillion in national debt for the first time, according to the US Treasury Department. This milestone marks 20 years of government spending that grew under both President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. During Trump's first term, he approved $8.4 trillion worth of debt, while Biden approved $4.3 trillion worth of debt. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the government has added $1.8 trillion to its debt in the current fiscal year alone. As a result, government watchdog groups had anticipated for weeks that the US would surpass the $40 trillion threshold after it reached $39 trillion in March.

The rapid growth of national debt has raised concerns among economists and politicians about the country's economic future. Some experts warn that a loss of confidence in the US government could lead to higher interest rates, inflation, and even bankruptcy. In response to the growing debt, the Treasury Department recently announced $5 billion in bond buybacks to calm investors, but this move has been criticized as merely treating symptoms rather than addressing the underlying problem.

The national debt is projected to continue growing in the coming years, with some estimates suggesting that it could reach $50 trillion by 2030. This has significant implications for the country's economic stability and ability to fund social programs and infrastructure projects.

Written for “US National Debt Crisis” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 US National Debt Crisis
Economy/Business · 6 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly left and hedges 15% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Michael Cohen, ex-fixer for Trump who once testified against him, hosts president on his radio show – as it happened same event · 100%
The Guardian
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 18% hedged 23 of 127 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe the exact same milestone: the US national debt reaching $40tn for the first time on Wednesday (August 20, 2026), with identical details about government spending under Trump and Biden.”
How Did America Get $40 Trillion in Debt? same event · 100%
Reason
⚖️ Leans right further right than this 🔴 17% hedged 2 of 12 📰 publisher trust 94
“Both articles report on the US national debt reaching $40tn for the first time, citing similar sources and timeframes.”
How The U.S. Racked Up Its $40 Trillion Debt same event · 90%
The Dispatch
⚖️ Leans right further right than this 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 15 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles report on the US national debt reaching $40tn for the first time, citing a similar source (the US Treasury Department) and referencing recent government spending under Trump and Biden.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
13
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
15%
2 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
6
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-08-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Guardian · 1363 article(s) · 4 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 4 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Lauren Aratani
2 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Economists had predicted gains would be at least 50,000 new jobs.
2026-09-06 · assertive framing · US added 162,000 jobs in August, with unemployment rate holding steady
🔮 , it took nearly 200 years for America’s gross debt to reach $1 trillion for the first time in 1981,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget in a statement.
2026-08-20 · assertive framing · US gross national debt tops $40tn for first time
Also by Lauren Aratani
US added 162,000 jobs in August, with unemployment rate holding steady
2026-09-06 · The Guardian
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

America Congress House the Bipartisan Policy Center the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Subjects

the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget ORG · 2× America GPE · 1× Biden PERSON · 1× Congress ORG · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× House ORG · 1× Joe Biden PERSON · 1× Maya MacGuineas PERSON · 1× Trump PERSON · 1× the Bipartisan Policy Center ORG · 1×

Narrative

The US House and Senate passed two different bills that would fund the federal government, which is scheduled to shut down on 30 September if a bill isn’t adopted by both chambers and signed by the president.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-20
🔮 , it took nearly 200 years for America’s gross debt to reach $1 trillion for the first time in 1981,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget in a statement.
2026-08-20 · The Guardian
US gross national debt tops $40tn for first time · assertive framing

Claims (13 extracted, 2 hedged)

US debt reached $40tn for the first time on Wednesday, the US treasury department said, after the government deficit doubled over the last decade. asserted
deficit → reach → decade
The treasury’s latest debt balance showed $40.047tn on Tuesday afternoon, the highest in US history. asserted
balance → show → history
The milestone marks years of government spending that grew under both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. asserted
that → mark → Trump
During his first term, Trump approved $8.4tn worth of debt, with a huge chunk going to Covid-19 relief spending, while Biden approved $4.3tn worth of debt, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. uncertain
Biden → approve → Budget
In fiscal year 2026, which started in October 2025, $1.8tn has been added to the debt so far, with a big chunk of new government spending dedicated to tariff refunds, which have totaled $100bn so far, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. uncertain
which → start → Center
Government spending watchdog groups have anticipated for weeks the US surpassing the $40tn threshold after debt reached $39tn in March. “For perspective asserted
debt → anticipate → perspective
, it took nearly 200 years for America’s gross debt to reach $1 trillion for the first time in 1981,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget in a statement. asserted
MacGuineas → take → statement
“$40 trillion of debt doesn’t exist solely on the government’s ledgers; it is felt throughout the economy and finds its way to the pocketbooks of people one way or another. asserted
it → exist → way
The more we borrow, the more we exacerbate inflation, squeeze out other priorities in the budget, and leave ourselves vulnerable to emergencies at home and turmoil abroad. asserted
we → borrow → home
The threshold was breached as Congress, currently out of session, remains at an impasse over its latest spending bill. asserted
Congress → breach → bill
The US House and Senate passed two different bills that would fund the federal government, which is scheduled to shut down on 30 September if a bill isn’t adopted by both chambers and signed by the president. asserted
bill → pass → president
Earlier on Wednesday, the US treasury announced it would double its buyback of government debt after the bond market balked at ongoing inflation and continued conflict between the US and Iran. asserted
market → announce → US
Though the move doesn’t increase the debt, it highlights the growing struggle the US is having in attracting investors to help take on its debt. asserted
US → increase → debt
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