The national debt of the United States recently exceeded *37 trillion dollars*, an unprecedented figure in U.S. history⁽¹⁾. This rapid increase in debt is due to several factors, including:
- *Rising interest rates*: which has increased the cost of servicing the debt, with the U.S. government spending over *1 trillion dollars annually* just on interest⁽²⁾.
- *Increased government spending*: particularly on programs like Social Security and healthcare, along with defense spending.
- *Budget deficit*: expected to reach about *1.9 trillion dollars* in the fiscal year 2025⁽³⁾.
Some experts warn that continuing this trend could lead to a financial crisis, while others believe that the U.S. economy is still capable of bearing this burden as long as GDP grows at a suitable pace⁽⁴⁾.