Total Federal Debt (as of early June 2025): ~$36.2 trillion washingtonpost.com+5usdebtclock.org+5washingtonpost.com+5usafacts.org
Per-person burden: ~ $106,000 usafacts.org
Daily Treasury-reported total (June 18, 2025): ~$28.9 trillion held by public + ~$7.33 trillion intragovernmental = ~$36.23 trillion fiscaldata.treasury.gov
📈 Debt Trends & Context
Surpassing 100% of GDP: Debt-to-GDP ratio stood at ~121% in Q1 2025, up from ~99% in 2024 usdebtclock.org+4usafacts.org+4wsj.com+4
Rapid growth: Exceeded $30 trillion in 2022; now at ~$36 trillion in 2025
Interest payments: Approaching $1 trillion annually, making it the second-largest federal expense after Social Security washingtonpost.com+3myjournalcourier.com+3crfb.org+3
⚠️ Why It Matters
Investor concern & credit risk
Taiwan’s central bank warns investors may lose confidence in U.S. Treasuries amid rapid debt rise reuters.com+1jec.senate.gov+1
Moody’s downgraded U.S. credit to Aa1 in May 2025, with global investors becoming more cautious ctinsider.com+3en.wikipedia.org+3washingtonpost.com+3Mounting interest burden
Annual interest now rivals defense and Medicaid spending, crowding out other priorities businessinsider.com+4myjournalcourier.com+4the-sun.com+4en.wikipedia.org+2ctinsider.com+2businessinsider.com+2Fiscal policy under pressure
CBO says the “One Big Beautiful Bill” could add ~$3 trillion in debt by 2034, pushing debt-to-GDP to ~124% myjournalcourier.com+15crfb.org+15barrons.com+15
Experts like Dalio and Rogoff warn of debt-driven economic risks, with U.S. at “economic heart attack” levels businessinsider.com
🎭 The Political & Economic Debate
Trump’s fiscal policies (tax cuts, tariffs, spending) criticized for accelerating debt growth businessinsider.com+6reuters.com+6apnews.com+6
Calls for fiscal reform: Analysts urge a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases to restore stability en.wikipedia.org+8ctinsider.com+8apnews.com+8
Comparisons to past crises: Experts warn of parallels with UK’s Liz Truss debt shock—unfunded tax cuts could destabilize markets