US DEBT INTEREST TOPS $1.36 TRILLION RECORD

The US government paid a record $1.36 trillion in interest on its debt in fiscal 2026, up 11.5% year over year, according to Treasury data. Social Security, the largest federal expense, grew only 5.5% over the same period, to $1.67 trillion. Debt-servicing costs are now rising twice as fast as the benefit program they could soon overtake. Long-dated Treasuries such as $TLT stay exposed to that widening gap.