WASHINGTON — The federal debt is getting so high it`s hard to count.
Discussing a bill to boost federal borrowing authority to an unprecedented $2 trillion-plus, Sen. John Chafee (R., R.I.) found the figures mind-boggling. He wondered aloud how long the huge borrowing could continue.
``What comes after trillion?`` he asked the Treasury`s man, John Niehenke, only half in jest during a hearing Tuesday.
Niehenke delayed his answer. He looked over his shoulder, consulting with a battery of assistants.
``I`m told it`s a quadrillion,`` he finally replied, ``but words like trillion and quadrillion really don`t exist. It`s . . . 1,000 billion, etc.`` A billion is a one with nine zeros after it: 1,000,000,000. A trillion has 12 zeros: 1,000,000,000,000. A quadrillion has 15: 1,000,000,000,000,000. The next word listed by Webster`s Unabridged Dictionary is quintillion, with 18 zeros: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.