Debt held by foreign countries

When the Senate Approves the increase in the Debt Limit, and they will,  the following countries/groups will be sent letters asking them to add to what we owe them. About $41.00 of every  $100.00  spent by the Federal Government comes from the list below. Part of the financial problem we are in is due to the payments we owe to  these countries in the form of interest payments.   WE CAN NO LONGER CONTINUE TO OPERATE IN THIS MANNER. WE MUST CUT, CAP AND BALANCE OR WE WILL BE EATEN ALIVE BY THE NATION/TERRITORIES LISTED  BELOW. Leading Foreign Holders of US Treasury Securities
	December 2010		November 2010
Nation/Territory	billions of dollars (est.)	percent of total foreign holdings	billions of dollars (est.)	percent of total foreign holdings
China	1,160.1	26.1%	1,164.1	26.4%
Japan	882.3	19.9%	875.9	19.8%
United Kingdom	272.1	6.1%	242.5	5.5%
Oil exporters1	211.9	4.8%	204.3	4.6%
Brazil	186.1	4.2%	189.8	4.3%
Caribbean Banking Centers2	168.6	3.8%	159.3	3.6%
Taiwan	155.1	3.5%	154.4	3.5%
Russia	151.0	3.4%	167.3	3.8%
Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region) (China, but still listed separately)	134.2	3.0%	134.9	3.1%
Switzerland	107.0	2.4%	107.0	2.4%
Subtotal of top 10 holders	3,428.4	77.2%	3,399.5	77.0%
Grand Total	4,439.6	100.0%	4,413.8	100.0%

¹Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Libya, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Ecuador, Indonesia, Algeria, Gabon, and Nigeria
²Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Netherlands Antilles, British Virgin Islands and Panama