The problem with rising debt burden is that it costs more to keep it: This is the problem presently facing the US Treasury Deperate. erstwhile the full US national debt exceeds $39 trillion, interest on this value is staggering: $529 billion for the first six months of this fiscal year.

The fresh budget update of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published yesterday highlights that the government — according to preliminary estimates — paid nearly $530 billion between October 2025, erstwhile the fiscal year begins and March 2026. This means over $88 billion in monthly interest, or over $22 billion a week.

This means that payments for public debt are about equal to expenditure for the same period both in the military budget of the Department of defence and the Department of Education. These 2 expenses make costs of $461 and $70 billion respectively.

Net interest on public debt besides increases rapidly. In the same period last year the Treasury paid $497 billion to handle its debt. The difference from last year is $33 billion — 7% more than before.

The CBO study notes that payments for services increased "because the debt was higher than in the first half of fiscal year 2025 and due to higher long-term interest rates. The fall in short-term interest rates partially alleviated the overall increase in interest payments."

Broader image of debt

Efforts are being made to balance the budget, including the function of president Trump's duties.

The latest monthly update of the CBO showed that the revenues for the first half of the year were $2.5 trillion, an increase of $223 billion compared to the same six-month period last year. Spending besides increased but slower: by $84 billion from $3.57 trillion in 2025 to $3.65 trillion in 2026.

Despite the increase in government revenue, there was inactive a crucial deficit: $1.2 trillion for the first six months of this fiscal year. Although it was $140 billion better than the deficit compared to last year, it inactive means borrowing over $2 trillion for the full fiscal year.

From this deficit, the latest study shows that only in March the government borrowed $163 billion — 3 billion more than the deficit recorded in March of the erstwhile year.

The update did not make much impression on specified persons as Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for the liable national Budget. In a statement, she said, "Both legislature and the president proceed to ignore the urgent request to control our debt. Hoping that the legislators are considering the budgetary process for the coming fiscal year, they hope to make plans to reduce the deficits from besides advanced 6% of GDP to more sustainable 3% of GDP; safe the failing trust funds of our country on Social Security, Medicare and roads; and yet fix the corrupt process that got us into this mess."