The U.S. national debt is sitting at nearly $33 trillion dollars. "The public debt has always been used for emergencies. The national debt increased by more than 89% since the beginning of the pandemic, with many top economists in agreement that 2020 was not the time to worry about the debt. Servicing the debt can become difficult when interest rates are higher. The Federal Reserve has been increasing interest rates since March 2022 with the goal of slowing down economic activity.

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Persons: Kris Mitchener, William Gale, Michael Peterson, Peter G, Lori Esposito, Murray, Stephanie Kelton Organizations: U.S, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University, Brookings Institution, Peterson Foundation, Economic Develop, Conference Board, Economic Development, The Conference Board, Federal Reserve, Stony Brook University Locations: U.S