The US gross national debt has surpassed $40 trillion for the first time, the highest in the country's history. The milestone, recorded on Wednesday, drew angry reactions from both parties, as reported by infohub.kz.
Over the past decade, the government deficit has doubled, driven by increased government spending under both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Trump approved $8.4 trillion in debt during his first term, with a large portion going to COVID-19 relief, while Biden approved $4.3 trillion. In fiscal year 2026, which began in October 2025, $1.8 trillion has been added to the debt so far.
Democrats blame Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress for the spending increase. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly posted on X: "The President said he’d pay off the debt in his first term. Well we all knew that was a lie. Instead he ran it up to $40 trillion while he and his family made billions." Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett said: "Republicans ran up the tab, handed billionaires another tax break, and now wanna lecture working families about 'fiscal responsibility'. You can’t max out the card AND pretend you’re the accountant. Pick a struggle." Colorado Congressman Jason Crow posted on X: "The Republican One Big Ugly Bill adds over $4 trillion alone—all to shamefully give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations."
Crow is referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will increase the deficit by $3.3 trillion. After Republican Senator Rick Scott posted on X that "Congress needs to get spending under control," netizens were quick to remind him that he had voted to pass the bill.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who frequently clashed with Trump and his own party, has long worn a debt badge on his suit jacket. The three-inch-long pin, which he created, updates the national debt in real time. Massie posted on X: "When I invented the debt badge, the national debt was just over $31 trillion. $4,000 per year per American. That’s how much interest we are paying on the debt to banks & foreign countries every year. A family of four owes $16,000 per year for nothing but interest on the debt! I lost my re-election because I voted against the policies that caused this." In May, the seven-term incumbent lost the House primary to Ed Gallrein, a retired Navy Seal and farmer who was recruited into the race by Trump.