US National Debt Nears $40 Trillion — A Global First

US gross national debt — the total the federal government owes — is approaching $40 trillion, a level no sovereign nation has reached, per Treasury data confirmed by the CRFB on August 12. Yahoo Finance and PBS corroborated August 13 and 17. Debt stood at $38.40 trillion in December 2025, rising roughly $6.12 billion daily.