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U.S. debt interest bill reaches $1.2 trillion, costing each American roughly $4,000 a year

8/23/2026

Interest on the national debt, which is the annual charge taxpayers cover simply to carry the government's outstanding borrowing, has reached nearly $1.2 trillion this year.

That makes it the largest single line item in the federal budget after Social Security and Medicare.

Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) put the household arithmetic plainly in a post on X on August 19: $4,000 per American per year, or $16,000 for a family of four, paid out for nothing but interest.

Massie framed the figures as the direct result of fiscal policies he voted against during his time in Congress.