National Debt Balance
The National Debt Balance is the amount of money owed by the United States government to its creditors. This includes the federal government’s obligations to its creditors, both foreign and domestic, as well as the obligations it owes to other governments and private entities. The total amount owed on the National Debt consists of a combination of both the federal debt held by the public and the intragovernmental debt, both of which are subject to changes over time.
The federal debt held by the public consists of securities backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government, and are issued through the public debt markets. These securities are known variously as Treasury bills, notes, and bonds. The total amount of the public debt held by the public is always changing as new debt is issued to finance the government’s expenditures, and existing debt is retired and replaced with new debt. The debt held by the public is subject to fluctuations in the market price of the debt instruments, as well as the interest rates paid on them.
Intragovernmental debt consists of funds borrowed from government trust funds, such as Social Security, Medicare, and other trust funds that are held in the U.S. Treasury Department. These funds are used to finance current and future government expenditures, both in the form of cash payments and in the form of investment returns. Intragovernmental debt is not subject to the same fluctuations in market prices as the public debt, since the federal government backs each of the trust funds, and is obligated to pay out the funds’ principal and interest on time.
The total amount of the National Debt is calculated as the sum of both the public and the intragovernmental debt. The total amount of the debt is constantly fluctuating as the federal government issues new debt to finance its operations and existing debt is retired to pay for maturing obligations. The current amount of the debt outstanding, or the “debt limit,” is set by Congress in the annual budget.
The National Debt Balance is an important indicator of the overall financial stability of the United States government. When the total debt outstanding is too high, it can put a strain on the government’s ability to finance future operations, as the government must either increase taxes, borrow more money, or print more money in order to finance current and future obligations. At times, the total amount of the debt owed can prompt a status of default when the government is unable to meet its financial obligations. The debt balance is monitored closely by the U.S. Treasury, the White House, and by the Federal Reserve in order to ensure that the nation’s financial stability remains sound.