At the close of business on Jan. 4, 2011, the day before the Republicans took control of the House, the debt was $14,014,049,043,294.41, according to the Treasury. On Jan. 3, 2019, the last day before the Republicans turned control of the House back to the Democrats, the debt closed at $21,929,258,046,653.58. So, under the Republican House majorities in four Congresses, the debt climbed $7,915,209,003,359.17. The federal debt did not climb by nearly a trillion dollars a year under a Republican-controlled House because the government did not tax enough, it spent too much.