ICYMI: Bourdeaux on Rising Debt Costs

(Arlington, Va. – September 28, 2026) – Concord Coalition Executive Director Carolyn Bourdeaux joined Marketplace to discuss new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projections showing how higher interest rates could significantly increase federal borrowing costs and add to the national debt.

“It doesn’t have to rise by much to really balloon the interest payments that we are making on this debt,” Bourdeaux told Marketplace.

Bourdeaux noted that over the first 10 years, the higher-rate scenario could mean roughly $1.5 trillion in additional interest costs. CBO also projects that if interest rates remain one percentage point above expectations, debt held by the public could reach 222 percent of GDP by 2056.

The national debt recently surpassed $40 trillion, adding urgency to the discussion about the country’s long-term fiscal outlook.

Read the full Marketplace story here.