Debt Surges to $40T as AI Spending Reshapes U.S. Financing

The national debt has surpassed $40 trillion with deficits projected to average $2.4 trillion per year through 2036; rising interest costs and refinancing needs threaten household finances and policy choices. At the same time, hyperscale tech firms are funding AI infrastructure with debt, with bond sales expected to rise and hundreds of billions already spent and trillions more planned—signaling a shift in how growth is financed and complicating fiscal decisions amid political divides.