>a 5% increase in interest payments for the federal government would cause the level of federal debt to rise to $85 trillion over the next 20 year" So if inter

>a 5% increase in interest payments for the federal government would cause the level of federal debt to rise to $85 trillion over the next 20 year" So if interest rates suddenly rise to 5% and the US didn't make a single debt payment for twenty years, total debt would explode? What insight! Then again, if nobody cares that no debt payment was made for 20 years, who cares what the total debt is! The article says at 5% the debt payment is $900BB annually, which is 5% of GDP. High, but hardly debilitating. First you need to explain what purpose the would be served by the Fed raising rates to 5% tomorrow, though.