America borrowed $43.5 billion a week in the first four months of the fiscal year, with debt interest on track to be over $1 trillion for 2026 | Fortune

"The CBO released a r eport yesterday detailing that, for the first third of FY26 (which began in October), the U.S. government operated at a deficit, and so borrowed $696 billion. That included $94 billion in January alone, and works out at an average of $43.5 billion for each of the 16 weeks of the four months since.While America's government spending outweighs its revenue generation, its finances are also negatively compounded by the interest payments needed to maintain its debt."

"If these estimates aren't alarming enough, the national debt continues to climb toward record levels, equaling about the size of the entire U.S. economy today ... Unless lawmakers want record-high debts and deficits to be our norm, both sides of the aisle must come together to address our unsustainable borrowing. The longer lawmakers wait, the higher the price for Americans."

For the first four months of FY2026, the U.S. government borrowed $696 billion, averaging $43.5 billion per week across 16 weeks, including $94 billion in January. Total national debt exceeds $38.5 trillion while U.S. GDP is about $31 trillion. Interest expenses paid through January 31 totalled $427 billion, placing annualized interest service on track toward $1 trillion. Interest payments reached $1.13 trillion in FY2024 and rose to $1.22 trillion in FY2025. Continued borrowing at current rates would push deficits toward $1.8 trillion or higher over a full year. Rising debt and interest costs increase fiscal strain and raise the future cost of addressing the imbalance.

Read at Fortune