WATCH: ​​Students shocked to hear national debt, question Biden's spending bill

Congressional Democrats are attempting to push through President Biden’s $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill despite America’s more than $28 trillion national debt.

Campus Reform’s Addison Smith went to Arkansas State University to see if students were aware of how much money the United States owes, and see if they support Biden’s $3.5 trillion after it was revealed to them.

Responses ranged from guesses in million, billions, and even trillions of dollars worth of debt. When Smith revealed the $28.8 trillion figure, students were shocked. 

“That’s insane”, said one student. “We need to find some money”, another joked.

To put the amount in perspective, Smith showed the students a graphic contextualizing $20 trillion and also informed them that the United States is in enough debt to pay for more than 131,000,000 students’ college education.

“I’m at a loss for words”, one student responded.

Smith then asked them about Biden’s reconciliation bill, which includes universal Pre-K and two free years of community college. 

After hearing the price tag, many questioned the need for such a large spending package.

“That’s a big no,” one student told Smith.

Another student pointed out that, “Some of the things [Biden] would be paying for does sound nice to have, but I mean… it’s hurting somebody. I mean, you might be giving all those things, but somebody’s paying for it”. 

When one student suggested the bill should be passed, Smith told her that, if the debt were divided up among U.S. citizens, each citizen would owe more than $86,000. After hearing how debt falls on the taxpayer, she quickly changed her mind about the bill.

“Everything’s going to start rising in prices and stuff… you did change my mind”, she said.

Watch the full video above.

Editor’s Note: This video was recorded on Monday, September 27, 2021. 

Follow the interviewer on Twitter: @_addisonsmith1