In 1784, the total federal debt was nearly $40 million.

What is the difference between the two types of federal debt?

Federal debt was $20,374 per capita at the end of 1998.

And then there is the frightening federal debt we will face.

The federal debt will top $15 trillion this year, or about $50,000 per person.

The latest bill places more focus on eliminating the federal debt.

That's almost eight times the size of the official gross federal debt.

Does the proposal add to the publicly held federal debt?

Since that time, federal debt as a share of the nation's income has varied.

President Clinton called reporters in today to talk policy, introducing a plan to pay off the federal debt by 2013.