America’s gross national debt surpassed $33 trillion for the first time in U.S. history on Monday as Washington, D.C., faces a potential government shutdown over federal spending.
Data reportedly published by the Treasury Department showed the national debt — which measures how much the federal government owes security holders — hit $33.04 trillion, just months after it eclipsed $32 trillion in mid-June.
Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a news release that the latest numbers reached “a new milestone that no one will be proud of.”
“Debt held by the public, meanwhile, recently surpassed $26 trillion,” MacGuineas said. “We are becoming numb to these huge numbers, but it doesn’t make them any less dangerous.”
The Congressional Budget Office conf …