Washington, D.C. – This week, the U.S. national debt topped $16 trillion for the first time in history.

“We all know that the $16 trillion milestone is the latest sign in a string of troubling evidence that our nation is headed in the wrong direction, but what may be less clear is exactly what this number means to our children and grandchildren who will be left to pay the bills,” Portman said.  “I hope that this breakdown of the nation’s massive debt will help to shed light on just how grave Washington’s debt malpractice has become and why we need pro-growth policies and common-sense spending restraint now.”

$16 Trillion In $1 Bills

• Would cover the entire State of Ohio nearly 1.5 times
• Would stack to the moon 4 times
• Would fill the Horseshoe at Ohio State 19 times over
• Would fill the Sears Tower 31 times over
• Would cover every square inch of highways, road, parking lots, and pavement in the U.S.

 Other Comparisons

• $51,000 per person
• $130,000 per household
• 32 times as large as the GDP of Ohio
• Equal to size of our country's entire economy (GDP )
• The approximate value of the entire U.S. stock market