© 2026
In touch with the world ... at home on the High Plains
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
96.3 FM near St. Francis in northwest Kansas is off air due to technical difficulties. You can always listen to HPPR in the player above or on the HPPR APP.

Bipartisan spending pushes U.S. national debt past the historic $40 trillion mark

NPR | By Eric McDaniel,
Scott Simon
Published August 22, 2026 at 6:43 AM CDT

The national debt reached $40 trillion this week. It's an eye-popping figure -- one that has grown as the influence of debt and deficit hawks has receded in Congress.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Tags
weekend edition saturday
Eric McDaniel
Eric McDaniel is a congressional reporter for NPR's Washington Desk.
Scott Simon
Scott Simon is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First.
See stories by Scott Simon