U.S. National Debt Surpasses $40 Trillion, Concerns Over Rising Interest Costs

The total public debt of the United States reached $40,040,257,576,842.22 on August 18, 2026, marking the first time it has exceeded $40 trillion. This figure includes $32.26 trillion in publicly held debt and $7.78 trillion in government-held debt. U.S. debt has more than doubled from $19.95 trillion in January 2017 over the past decade. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that publicly held debt will reach 120% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2036, with net interest payments expected to increase to $2.1 trillion by the same year. The U.S. Treasury announced it would increase the liquidity support buyback for nominal Treasury bonds with maturities of 10 to 30 years from a maximum of $2 billion to at least $4 billion. In Congress, there are calls for spending restraint and institutional reform, with a shared understanding that rising interest costs are narrowing fiscal options. Domestic investors are focusing more on the trajectory of interest rates and the pace of interest expenditure increase rather than the $40 trillion figure itself. The connection to the cryptocurrency market is limited, and further confirmation is needed on how changes in long-term Treasury yields will impact risk assets.