Data from the U.S. Treasury Department shows that the total federal debt rose to $40.047 trillion on August 18, an increase of approximately $61 billion in a single day.
Of this, $32.266 trillion was publicly held debt, and $7.782 trillion was held in internal government accounts. Interest payments in the first ten months of the year have risen to approximately $1.1 trillion. The widening deficit has driven debt issuance, and rising long-term bond yields have further increased refinancing costs, leading to increased interest payments and a further widening of the deficit. Subsequently, on August 19, the U.S. Treasury Department raised the maximum repurchase limit for 10-30 year Treasury bonds from $2 billion to at least $4 billion. However, repurchases still require financing through bond issuance of other maturities, which can only improve long-term debt liquidity but cannot reduce the deficit.
