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The U.S. debt has crossed $39 trillion, marking yet another troubling milestone on the march toward fiscal calamity. This comes only a few weeks after the Congressional Budget Office deemed the national debt “unsustainable.” Furthermore, the alarming benchmark came even sooner than projections from the Joint Economic Committee, reflecting the accelerating rate of accumulation.
A Race to $40 Trillion & Beyond
Every time the national debt blasts through another round number, it races toward the next psychological figure. While the figure climbed over $39 trillion on March 17, the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) predicts that $40 trillion will be claimed by the end of the year. This latest trillion-dollar leap took 21 weeks, although the jump from $37 to $38 trillion only took 10 weeks.
Looking historically, it’s clear that the debt bubble is expanding at an exponential rate. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis clearly illustrates how the U.S. debt has not only risen aggressively, but how the growth is compounded over time. In 2016, the debt was half of what it is now, at around $19 trillion. Back in early 2008, this figure was below $10 trillion. When charted out, the history of U.S. debt looks like an increasingly rising trendline.
Source: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GFDEBTN#
The Revealing “Dark Numbers”
Arizona Congressman David Schweikert operates a Daily Debt Monitor to put the virtually unfathomable mountain of debt into data that’s easier to digest. According to this Debt Dashboard, the national debt increases by nearly $90,000 every second. That comes out to over $5 million per minute, $319 million per hour, and $7 billion per day.
In a special episode of The Gold Spot, Representative Schweikert sat down with the Scottsdale Bullion & Coin team to discuss the grim trajectory of American finances, calling these statistics “dark numbers” facing the country.
The Structural Engine Behind Debt Growth
It’s tempting to blame the debt growth on a bunch of one-off expenses, such as wars, stimulus packages, or emergency spending, yet these expenditures are marginal when looking at the federal budget. The primary driver of the national debt is mandatory spending that happens automatically every year, without the need for Congressional approval.
In fact, these expenses are driven by law. More specifically, entitlement programs, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, along with debt interest payments, are structural expenses pushing the debt higher. Together, these non-negotiable expenses account for more than 50% of the federal outlays.
Source: https://www.pgpf.org/article/chart-pack-the-us-budget/
How Mandatory Spending Induces a Debt Spiral
Due to inflation and upside-down age demographics, entitlement programs are increasingly expensive to operate. This triggers more borrowing, which, in turn, jacks up interest payments. This creates a positive feedback loop wherein the government is effectively borrowing money to pay off its debts.
Some people are hopeful that new faces in Washington could fix the debt problem, but history shows that politicians tend to fall into the same old habits: tell constituents what they want to hear rather than telling the harsh truth.
Can the U.S. Economy Outgrow Its Debt?
Another idealistic view of debt management involves the powerhouse of the U.S. economy generating enough money to outgrow the national debt. As EPIC demonstrates, the American economy, despite being the largest in the world, is projected to remain behind in debt expansion. Worse yet, the rate of debt accumulation is projected to outrun GDP growth.
Source: https://epicforamerica.org/federal-budget/national-debt-tops-39-trillion/
Gold Shines as a Safe-Haven…Again
As the national debt spirals out of control with another milestone in the history books, the wealthiest and most knowledgeable investors aren’t waiting around for the inevitable ripple effects. Central banks have been buying gold at historic rates for four years running. In 2025, total gold demand reached 5,000 metric tons, the highest on record. Gold exchange-traded funds shattered records in early 2026, indicating the momentum is growing.
If you’re eager to learn more about how gold can protect your wealth as the U.S. economy is rattled by debt, grab a FREE copy of our Precious Metals Investment Guide.
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