The U.S. government's public debt is now more than $22 trillion — the highest it has ever been. The Treasury Department data comes as tax revenue has fallen and federal spending continues to rise. The new debt level reflects a rise of more than $2 trillion from the day President Trump took office in 2017

The truth is, most of it is owed to Social Security and pension funds. This means U.S.citizens, through their retirement money, own most of the national debt. U.S. national debt is the sum of these two federal debt categories: Public debt – held by other countries, the Federal Reserve, mutual funds, etc.

By and large, Americans. Some 70% of the national debt is owned by domestic government, institutions investors and the Federal Reserve. A shade under 30% is owned by foreign entities, according to the latest information from the U.S. Treasury.