How to survive a national debt scare

An electronic billboard on a bus stop in Washington, DC, displays the current US national debt on August 30, 2026. | Jemal Countess/Getty Images for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation The national debt hasn’t been a major issue in the 2026 midterms. But perhaps it should be. As of last month, the United States is in debt to the tune of $40 trillion. That’s 12 zeros, which averages out to about $116,000 per American.  It’s enough that even economists like Jared Bernstein, the chair of the US…