What is the public debt?

a. borrowed money
b.the amount the government spends that exceeds its income
d. the total amount of money owed by the federal Government

D

1 answer

Correct.
Accordig to Wikipedia:
"The United States public debt, commonly called the national debt, or U.S. government debt, is the amount of money owed by the United States federal government to creditors who hold U.S. Debt Instruments. ...
This does not include the money owed by states, corporations, or individuals, nor does it include the money owed to Social Security beneficiaries in the future."