The US gross national debt topped $40tn (£31.5tn) for the first time on Wednesday, a record that has sparked cross-party outrage in Washington. The milestone, reached after a decade in which the deficit has doubled under both Republican and Democratic administrations, has intensified partisan blame-trading, with Democrats accusing Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress of driving up spending while cutting taxes for the wealthy.

Trump added $8.4tn to the debt during his first term, much of it tied to Covid-19 relief, while Joe Biden added $4.3tn; a further $1.8tn has accrued so far in the current fiscal year, which began in October 2025. Democratic senator Mark Kelly and congresswoman Jasmine Crockett accused Trump and Republicans of hypocrisy over fiscal responsibility, while congressman Jason Crow pointed to the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act", which the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will add $3.3tn to the deficit. Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who wears a real-time "debt badge" pin and lost his primary after voting against the bill, noted that interest payments alone now cost a family of four around $16,000 a year.