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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 5:43 AM MDT

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.

Eric McDaniel

Eric McDaniel is a congressional reporter for NPR's Washington Desk.

See stories by Eric McDaniel

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.

See stories by Scott Simon