why is the u s national debt rising so rapidly 
the u s national debt stands at about 34 trillion as of early 2024 ten years earlier it was 22 99 trillion at the start of 2024 the figure is updated daily on the u s treasury site ten years earlier it was 22 99 trillion much of the increase can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic and the enormous amounts of government money spent by both president donald trump and president joe biden to stabilize the american economy and help citizens through the crisis 2