U.S. Records Largest Budget Deficit Since Pandemic at $1.7 Trillion

In fiscal year 2023, the United States government recorded a staggering budget deficit of .695 trillion, marking a substantial 23% increase from the previous year.

According to Reuters, this deficit, the largest since the pandemic-induced $2.78 trillion gap in 2021, signals a return to rising deficits after consecutive declines during President Joe Biden’s initial two years in office.

The Treasury Department attributed this deficit surge to falling revenues, escalating Social Security and Medicare outlays, and the exceptionally high interest costs on the federal debt. President Biden’s proposal for additional spending, including $100 billion in foreign aid and security expenditures, further complicates the fiscal landscape. This request includes $60 billion for Ukraine $14 billion for Israel, as well as funds for U.S. border security and the Indo-Pacific region.

This substantial deficit has reignited fiscal tensions between Biden and House Republicans, who previously demanded spending cuts and nearly pushed the U.S. to default in June due to disagreements over the debt ceiling. A recent agreement to avoid a government shutdown resulted in the removal of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, leaving the Republican party divided on leadership matters. This internal discord is expected to complicate negotiations leading to the new fiscal deadline in mid-November.

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In September, the final month of the fiscal year, the deficit decreased to $171 billion from the previous year’s $430 billion.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young emphasized falling revenues as a significant factor contributing to the 2023 deficit, underscoring the importance of President Biden’s proposed tax reforms.

It’s worth noting that the fiscal 2023 deficit would have been $321 billion higher if not for the Supreme Court’s ruling against Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, forcing the Treasury to reverse a charge that inflated the fiscal 2022 deficit. Adjusting for these one-off changes, last year’s deficit would have been closer to $1 trillion, while this year’s would have approached $2 trillion.

The deficit surge in 2023 sharply contrasts the previous two years, during which deficits fell as COVID-19 spending waned. The deficit peaked in fiscal 2020 at $3.13 trillion due to reduced tax revenues and increased spending on unemployment benefits, direct payments to consumers, and aid to businesses.

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According to the Congressional Budget Office, based on current tax and spending legislation, U.S. deficits are expected to approach COVID-era levels by the end of the decade, reaching around $2.13 trillion in 2030. This projection takes into account rising interest, health, and pension costs.

In the fiscal year 2023, total revenues dropped by 9%, amounting to $4.439 trillion, primarily due to a decline in non-withheld individual income tax payments caused by weaker stock and financial asset performances due to rising interest rates. Other contributing factors included a $106 billion decrease in Federal Reserve earnings as interest paid on bank reserves offset portfolio income.

On the expenditure side, fiscal 2023 outlays decreased by 2% to $6.134 trillion compared to the previous year. However, spending on retirement and healthcare benefits for the elderly and debt service costs witnessed significant increases, leading to higher overall outlays.

Notably, Social Security spending rose 10% to $1.416 trillion due to cost of living adjustments, while spending for the Medicare senior healthcare program increased by 4% to $1.022 trillion. Interest costs on the federal debt, which has surpassed $33 trillion, surged by 23% to a record $879 billion. Net interest payments, excluding intragovernmental transfers to trust funds, rose by 39% to $659 billion, another record.

The average interest cost on the Treasury’s outstanding debt was 2.97% in the last fiscal year, up from 2.07% the previous year, reflecting the impact of the Federal Reserve’s efforts to curb inflation by increasing borrowing costs. These developments have led to interest payments comprising 3.28% of the gross domestic product, the highest since 2001, and the net share at 2.45%, the highest since 1998.