The national debt is the same size as the economy. It’s a ‘disturbing warning and a call to action,’ watchdog says

Six months before Election Day, America’s $39 trillion national debt has moved from an abstract fiscal concern to a dinner-table anxiety — and voters across the political spectrum are demanding that candidates explain what they plan to do about it. A new national survey released Thursday by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation found that 92% of registered voters are concerned that the national debt is fueling inflation and driving up their personal cost of living, including prices for groceries, energy, housing, and transportation. The figure includes 94% of Democrats, 92% of independents, and 89% of Republicans — a degree of bipartisan alignment rarely seen in today’s fractured political environment. “The rising national debt has effectively become a kitchen table issue for Americans because it contributes to rising costs across the economy, from grocery bills to car payments,” said Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peterson Foundation. “Voters across party lines are looking for leadership and solutions on the debt, because they understand it’s a critical issue for the nation’s economy and their own personal finances.” “Once again, America has hit an alarming fiscal milestone that highlights our dangerous and unsustainable outlook,” Peterson said in a statement to Fortune. “The national debt is now as large as our entire economy, which should serve as both a disturbing warning and a call to action.” Peterson warned that the country will soon eclipse the all-time high of debt to GDP, set just after World War II, but “the critical difference between 1946 and 2026 is that today’s deficits are not caused by a war, but by a structural, growing mismatch between spending and revenue.” The survey arrives alongside a new reading of the U.S. Fiscal Confidence Index, which fell to 42 in April — a 22-month low, and down from 43 in March and 48 in February. The index, scored on a 0-to-200 scale with 100 as