Learning Ecosystems

The federal government is taking on record amounts of debt year after year.

The U.S. owes lenders more than $36 trillion. That is close to an all-time high when comparing the debt to the country’s total economic output — a leading indicator of the nation’s ability to pay it all back.

Debt and annual deficits have colored much of the debate around President Donald Trump and Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the mammoth tax and immigration measure the GOP hopes to pass through Congress before July 4. It would add $3 trillion to the debt over the next decade, factoring in the cost of the bill plus interest on the added borrowing, according to nonpartisan estimates.

But how does the national debt affect the U.S. economy and the government? Here are 10 charts to explain.