The US is now spending more on interest payments than on national defense for the first time since the late 1920s, marking a turning point in federal priorities, according to visualcapitalist.com. As debt levels and borrowing costs rise, interest payments are taking up an ever-increasing share of the budget and are projected to reach $2.1 trillion by 2036, far exceeding defense spending. The cited source presents a comparison of the annual net interest payments of the US and defense spending