# US debt hits $40 trillion: Who does Washington owe and why does it matter?

https://mins.news/en/video/27868

- Al Jazeera English, 2026-08-20 23:55 UTC
- Economy
- Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_GDTJxWu0U

> US national debt has topped $40 trillion for the first time, a historic milestone reached as the Trump administration confronts rising borrowing costs. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent played down the headline figure, saying the country must “grow our way out of this”. Debt has climbed under successive administrations amid wars, tax cuts, economic crises and government spending.

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