U.S. national debt rises to $39 trillion, with annual interest payments reaching approximately $1 trillion

According to Odaily, the U.S. national debt has risen to approximately $39 trillion, with the public debt now equivalent to the size of the U.S. GDP. Annual interest payments have reached about $1 trillion, exceeding the defense budget. The U.S. Treasury system dates back to 1790, when Alexander Hamilton pushed through a debt consolidation reform. At that time, the federal government assumed the wartime debts of individual states and committed to full repayment, thereby establishing the U.S. credit system and laying the foundation for the global status of the dollar and U.S. Treasuries. Today, U.S. Treasuries are regarded as one of the core assets of the global financial system, supporting the U.S. dollar's reserve currency status and being widely held by central banks and financial institutions worldwide. As the debt scale continues to expand, market concerns over long-term sustainability are intensifying. According to estimates from the Penn Wharton Budget Model, when the debt-to-GDP ratio exceeds approximately 210%, the fiscal system may face unsustainable risks. Currently, this ratio in the U.S. stands at about 100%, and the Congressional Budget Office projects it could rise to 175% by 2056. Analysts believe that under scenarios of growing healthcare spending and widening fiscal deficits, this risk threshold could arrive earlier, and the long-term stability of the debt structure is facing increasingly stringent market and policy scrutiny.