U.S. deficit: $1 trillion
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. budget deficit through the first four months of the budget year is up 19% from the same period a year ago, putting the country on track to record its first $1 trillion deficit since 2012.
The Treasury Department said recently in its monthly budget report that the deficit from October through January was $389.2 billion, up $78.9 billion from the same period last year.
The deficit reflected government spending that has grown 10.3% this budget year while revenues were up only 6.1%. For January, the deficit totaled $32.6 billion, compared to a surplus a year ago of $8.68 billion.
The Congressional Budget Office is projecting the deficit will top $1 trillion this year and remain above $1 trillion over the next decade.
The actual deficit for the 2019 budget year, which ended Sept. 30, was $984.4 billion, up 26% from the 2018 imbalance.