Experts Sound Alarm as National Debt Tops GDP for First Time Since WWII

The U.S. Capitol building on April 29, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch TimesThe U.S. national debt has surpassed the size of the economy, reaching its highest level since World War II, excluding a brief pandemic-era spike, according to new data that is sharpening concerns about the country’s long-term fiscal trajectory.Debt held by the public reached $31.27 trillion as of March 31, slightly exceeding the nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $31.22 trillion over the prior 12 months, pushing the debt-to-GDP ratio to 100.2 percent, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) said in an April 30 report based on fresh figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.