Opinion

$50 trillion in debt is not a distant threat. America is speeding towards it

So what's Washington's plan? That's the scary part. There isn't a politically acceptable one because nobody can get along anymore

By Ted Jenkin Fox News

Published August 26, 2026 9:00am EDT

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How the US went $40 trillion in debt

The ‘Journal Editorial Report’ panel discusses how the United States dug itself into the debt crisis.

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In the 1999 movie "The Matrix," Agent Smith hears a train approaching and delivers one of the iconic movie lines:

"That is the sound of inevitability."

America, listen closely.

‘THE ODYSSEY’ REMINDS US OF THE NIGHTMARE WE ARE LEAVING FOR AMERICAN CHILDREN

Our national debt just blew through $40 trillion, and unless Washington dramatically changes course, that train has another destination coming into view very quickly.

$50 trillion. Yes, $50 trillion.

But wait! There’s more!

It could happen by 2030. Yes, by 2030.

This isn't a Republican problem. It isn't a Democratic problem.

It's now an American math problem.

JOHN ADAMS MADE A TERRIFYING PREDICTION. AMERICA IS CLOSE TO PROVING HIM CORRECT

The Congressional Budget Office projects a federal deficit of approximately $1.9 trillion in 2026. But that's hardly the end of it. CBO projects deficits totaling more than $23 trillion from 2026 through 2035.

Think about that.

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We're already $40 trillion in debt, yet Washington isn't debating how to pay it down. In........

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