U.S. Debt Surpasses $39.84 Trillion as Treasury Secretary Bessent Coordinates Yen Intervention
As of July 30, 2026, the U.S. national debt reached a record high of $39.84 trillion and is growing by approximately $12.6 billion per day. The annual interest cost on this debt now exceeds $1 trillion—nearly triple what it was in 2020—and has surpassed defense spending for part of the fiscal year. In a coordinated effort with Japan, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent participated in dollar-yen intervention to stabilize the yen amid concerns over its structural weakness due to divergent monetary policies between the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan (BOJ). The rate gap remains at 2.75 percentage points, contributing to pressure on Japanese government debt levels that already exceed 237% of GDP. Japan’s intervention efforts included a single-day purchase estimated at ¥8.45 trillion ($52.8 billion), while the U.S. Treasury sold euros to buy yen through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Topics: interest costs Japan Treasury intervention U.S. debt yen