Odaily Planet Daily News The total sovereign debt issued by the U.S. Treasury has surpassed $30 trillion for the first time, more than doubling since 2018. Data released on Thursday showed that as of November, the U.S. government's outstanding Treasury bills, notes, and bonds totaled $30.2 trillion. This $30.2 trillion debt is a major component of the total federal debt of the United States. As of November, the national total debt of the United States reached $38.4 trillion, which includes debts to the Social Security Trust Fund, savings bond holders, and others. According to data from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, in 2020, the U.S. financed $4.3 trillion through the issuance of the aforementioned three types of government bonds, with that year's fiscal deficit exceeding $3 trillion. Although the deficit has narrowed since then (falling to about $1.78 trillion in fiscal year 2025), interest payments on the debt alone amount to $1.2 trillion. Citigroup interest rate strategist Jason Williams noted, "The biggest challenge is interest payments. Even if tariff revenues reach $300-400 billion, it is still far below the interest we pay on existing debt. We are like sinking in quicksand; tariffs may slow our sinking a bit, but we are still sinking." (Jin Shi)