Opinion

The US has a $40 trillion debt crisis. Billionaire Warren Buffett knows how to solve it

Getting a handle on the debt requires the political will to fix things

By Carol Roth Fox News

Published September 8, 2026 5:00am EDT | Updated September 8, 2026 5:23am EDT

Comments Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Print Email Add Fox News on Google

close

Video

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer lays out GOP priorities as national debt surpasses $40 trillion

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer joins 'Sunday Morning Futures' to discuss the GOP's legislative priorities, the SAVE America Act and the national debt surpassing $40 trillion ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

America had a headline-grabbing milestone this summer. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our America 250 celebration. Rather, it was passing the $40 trillion mark on our national debt.

$40 trillion is a number that is very difficult to get your head wrapped around. It’s more than 120% of our GDP, a ratio that sounds more applicable to an emerging market in crisis than the biggest economy in the world.

While the debt in and of itself is a problem, there are two related issues that are critical. One is the rapid growth in debt accumulation. In 2017, we passed the $20 trillion mark, and less than 10 years later, we doubled that to $40 trillion.

$50 TRILLION IN DEBT IS NOT A DISTANT THREAT. AMERICA IS SPEEDING TOWARDS IT

This begets the second issue, which is the cost to finance all that debt.

Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, makes his way to a........

© Fox News