# US debt tops $40 trillion threshold — retained record

> Retained news record from news:semafor.

Canonical: https://highsignal.app/data/records/1f34ee6fef21533d

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source: [news](https://highsignal.app/data/news) (news:semafor)  published 2026-08-20 13:42 ingested 2026-08-21 06:37

[original source ↗](https://www.semafor.com/article/08/20/2026/us-debt-tops-40-trillion-threshold)

## retained text



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The Trump administration sought to lower interest rates with rhetoric and repurchases, as Washington’s debt crossed a significant milestone.
US President Donald Trump reiterated criticism of the Federal Reserve, pressing for it to cut rates, while the Treasury said it would increase purchases of long-dated bonds to contain borrowing costs.
But banks including Barclays, ING, and Goldman Sachs forecast rates would stay unchanged at least through this year; traders are betting on an 80% likelihood of a hike over the next year. The bond buyback, meanwhile, risked a credibility crisis “absent real fiscal consolidation,” JP Morgan economists wrote in a note to clients. That call came as US government debt topped the $40 trillion threshold for the first time.
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document fetched 2026-08-21 06:37 · canonical https://semafor.com/article/08/20/2026/us-debt-tops-40-trillion-threshold