U.S. national debt eclipses $100,000 per person, Rep. Brian Mast decries

By Michael Costeines

Published Dec. 7, 2023, 12:34 p.m. ET | Updated Dec. 7, 2023

Taken on May 15, 2017. (Photo/Kenny Eliason)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The U.S. national debt reached another precipitous milestone with the average debt accumulating to over $100,000 per person.

“The U.S. just broke another record: the national debt is over $100,000 per citizen,” said Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla. “That means my son’s share is more than $100,000. He hasn’t even started kindergarten yet.”

The U.S. just broke another record: the national debt is over $100,000 per citizen.

That means my son’s share is more than $100,000. He hasn’t even started kindergarten yet.

Washington has to get the spending under control.
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) December 6, 2023

According to the debt clock, overall U.S. national debt is an estimated $34 trillion. The average debt for each U.S. taxpayer also is near $260,000.

“You are your record, and our record in this country right now is $33 trillion dollars in debt facing $2 trillion dollar annual deficits,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., recently said on the House floor.

🇺🇸💰 "We are devaluing American money so rapidly that you can't even bribe Democrat Senators with cash alone!"

Republican Representative for Florida, Matt Gaetz, rails against $33 trillion national debt during US budget debate. pic.twitter.com/BsUCbChDSj
— Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil (@ivan_8848) September 28, 2023

Furthermore, U.S. credit card debt ballooned to $1.3 trillion, or over $8,000 per holder. Student loan payments also reached $1.7 trillion, or $39,000 per student.

“Washington has to get the spending under control,” Mast said.

By percentage, former President Franklin D. Roosevelt accumulated the most debt of any president. The increase was largely due World War II and the New Deal, a string of government-funded programs focused on fighting the Great Depression.

Following Roosevelt, Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama rounded out the top 5. Both Roosevelt and Wilson’s near 800% increase far outweighed their three successors.

Obama’s $832 billion stimulus package and $858 billion in tax cuts added to the national figure. The percent change during his presidency was 64%.

Former President Donald Trump’s tenure resulted in a 33% increase. A significant portion of debt during his presidency also occurred during the coronavirus pandemic, with the signing of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

The largest rescue package in American history, CARES totaled $2.2 trillion.

As of September, President Joe Biden has added $4.8 trillion to the debt. The figure also has rapidly grew from the $27.8 trillion at the beginning of his term.