[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8633-S8634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE VERY BAD DEBT BOXSCORE

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, too many Americans have not the foggiest 
notion about the enormity of the Federal

[[Page S8634]]

debt. Every so often, I ask various groups, how many millions of 
dollars are there in a trillion? They think about it, voice some 
estimates, most of them not even close.
  They are stunned when they learn the facts, such as the case today. 
To be exact, as of the close of business yesterday, July 23, the total 
Federal debt--down to the penny--stood at $5,171,664,148,836.91.
  Another astonishing statistic is that on a per capita basis, every 
man, woman, and child in America owes $19,489.11.
  As for how many millions of dollars there are in a trillion, there 
are a million in a trillion, which means that the Federal Government 
owes more than $5 million million.

                          ____________________