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U.S. Treasury is paying $3 billion a day in interest on national debt, says the CBO—having spent $10 billion to prop up the currency of its top lender
['Eleanor Pringle']
Fortune | FORTUNE
The government’s nearly $40 trillion national debt is now costing the Treasury more than $3 billion a day in service payments, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
In its August budget update, the CBO reported that net interest on public debt totaled $963 billion between October 2025 (when the fiscal year begins) and July 2026.
That equates to $96.3 billion a month, or approximately $3.18 billion a day over the 303 days in between.
The CBO, led by director Phil Swagel, added, “Declines in short-term rates partially mitigated the overall rise in interest payments.”
Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio has warned as much, saying a “debt-induced heart attack” will be prompted by debt payments crowding out public spending.