US national debt crosses $33 trln for first time

The US gross national debt exceeded $33 trillion for the first time on Sept. 18, even as government spending remains subject to tight control.

US Treasury Department data showed that the country’s public debt increased to $33.04 trillion, compared to about $907 billion four decades ago.

Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in press statements that the US has achieved a new precedence that no citizen will be proud of, with the total public debt exceeding $33 trillion.

She added that the domestic public debt exceeded $26 trillion, and that the state of indifference towards these numbers does not reduce the seriousness of the matter.