{
  "id": 562657,
  "title": "U.S. Treasury is paying $3 billion a day in interest on national debt, says the CBO—having spent $10 billion to prop up the currency of its top lender",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/u-s-treasury-is-paying-3-billion-a-day-in-interest-on-national-debt",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-11T10:49:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/08/11/us-treasury-national-debt-interest-cbo-yen-unwinds/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the U.S. government's $40 trillion national debt is currently costing the Treasury over $3 billion each day in interest payments, according to their August budget update. From October 2025 to July 2026, net interest on public debt amounted to $963 billion, which breaks down to roughly $3.18 billion daily over the 303-day period. Interest payments on the debt have risen by 14% compared to the same timeframe last year due to the increased debt size and higher long-term interest rates. Despite short-term rate declines partially offsetting the overall increase, debt hawks argue that the growing fiscal deficit signals a problematic trajectory for fiscal responsibility. The U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio stands at 122%, a level that could potentially lead to higher risk premiums demanded by lenders. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently intervened to stabilize the Japanese yen, backing the currency to the tune of $5 to $10 billion, in an effort to preserve regional financial stability. The move was motivated by the fact that Japan is the largest holder of U.S. debt, currently owning $1.14 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities.",
  "summary": "The CBO reported that net interest on public debt totaled $963 billion between October 2025 (when the fiscal year begins) and July 2026.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}