US National Debt Exceeds $38.5 Trillion, Interest Payments Near $1 Trillion
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 03 2026
0mins
Source: Coinmarketcap
- Record National Debt: In January 2026, the US national debt surpassed $38.5 trillion, significantly exceeding the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's 2030 projections, highlighting the long-term impact of pandemic-era spending on the economy.
- Surging Interest Payments: Annual interest payments on the national debt are approaching $1 trillion, nearly tripling from $345 billion in 2020, which severely constrains federal budgets and underscores the high cost of ongoing borrowing.
- Growth Expectations: The Trump administration suggests that tariffs and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) could alleviate debt burdens, although economists generally believe that reversing the debt trend in the short term is unlikely.
- Tariff Revenue Surge: Tariff revenues have skyrocketed from $7 billion last year to approximately $25 billion, yet this accounts for less than 0.07% of the national debt, illustrating the daunting challenge of addressing the debt crisis.
Analyst Views on PUMP
Wall Street analysts forecast PUMP stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for PUMP is 14.40 USD with a low forecast of 11.00 USD and a high forecast of 20.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
5 Analyst Rating
3 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 11.000
Low
11.00
Averages
14.40
High
20.00
Current: 11.000
Low
11.00
Averages
14.40
High
20.00
About PUMP
ProPetro Holding Corp is an integrated energy service company, which is focused on providing hydraulic fracturing, wireline, and other complementary energy and power generation services to upstream oil and gas companies engaged in the exploration and production (E&P) of North American oil and natural gas resources. Its segments include hydraulic fracturing (inclusive of acidizing and wet sand solutions), wireline, cementing and power generation services. Its hydraulic fracturing fleets range from approximately 50,000 to 80,000 HHP depending on the job design and customer demand at the wellsite. It owns and operates a fleet of mobile wireline units and other auxiliary equipment to perform well completion services. It provides cementing services for the completion of new wells and remedial work on existing wells. It has formed PROPWR to provide power generation services to oil and gas producers and for non-oil and gas applications such as general industrial projects and data centers.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
