US Budget Gap Expands in February

2026-03-11 18:07 By Felipe Alarcon 1 min. read

The United States government recorded a $307.5 billion budget deficit in February 2026, compared with a $296.3 billion deficit in the same month a year earlier.

Receipts fell 43.9% from the prior month to $313.3 billion, driven by individual income taxes ($133.4 billion), social insurance and retirement receipts ($144.4 billion), and customs duties ($26.6 billion).

The monthly total reflected a normalization of tax collections following seasonal peaks and specific adjustments in corporate and miscellaneous receipts.

Meanwhile, outlays fell 5.1% from the prior month to $620.8 billion, with Social Security ($138.4 billion), Health and Medicare ($155.6 billion), and national defense ($71.1 billion) the largest spending categories, while spending totals were influenced by the acceleration of certain benefit payments into February because March 1 fell on a non-business day.



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