The U.S. debt now exceeds the country's GDP. Should we worry?

America's national debt has surpassed the country's gross domestic product for the first time since World War II, marking a stark increase in the government's fiscal burden. Debt held by the public stood at $31.27 trillion at the end of April, edging above the U.S. GDP of $31.22 trillion between April 2025 and March 2026, according to a recent analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. "Outside of a brief period early in the COVID-19 pandemic – when GDP temporarily crashed – debt only exceeded GDP for two years at the end of World War II," found the nonpartisan think tank, which focuses on fiscal issues and which favors lower deficits. Federal spending soared during World War II. By contrast, the recent debt surge has been fueled by a combination of tax cuts, increased government spending on interest payments and the challenge of serving an aging population, which is making programs such as Medicare and Social Security more costly, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Interest payments top Medicare spending The nation's ballooning debt is translating into higher federal interest payments, with the U.S. now spending more to service that debt than to fund national defense or Medicare. …