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Bipartisan spending pushes U.S. national debt past the historic $40 trillion mark

NPR | By Eric McDaniel,
Scott Simon
Published August 22, 2026 at 6:43 AM CDT

The national debt reached $40 trillion this week. It's an eye-popping figure -- one that has grown as the influence of debt and deficit hawks has receded in Congress.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Eric McDaniel
Eric McDaniel is a congressional reporter for NPR's Washington Desk.
Scott Simon
Scott Simon is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First.