[OC] U.S. Interest Payments on the National Debt and Defense Spending 1962–2025

Source: Office of Management and Budget Historical Table 3.2 (FY2027 Budget)
Visualization created in R with ggplot2.

See the comparisons of the U.S. net interest payments on the national debt with national defense spending from 1962–2025 using OMB historical budget data.

Interest costs surged during the high-rate environment of the 1980s, declined during the post-2008 low-interest-rate era, and have risen sharply again following recent rate hikes and rapid growth in federal debt.