US Budget Deficit Blows Past All-Time Highs

The dramatic sums during the past few months have added to the already burgeoning deficit. The budget year, beginning Oct 1 is already $2.7 trillion overdrawn, and well on the way to the $3.7 trillion forecasts.

US Budget Blow Out

The totals are already well beyond the previous highs during the recession of 2009. In that year, the government overspent by $1.4 trillion—a previous high. That year saw dramatic spending initiatives to stem the fiscal crisis caused by mortgage-backed securities. The current spending has already nearly doubled that total, with three additional full months still left to spend.

Times of War

The deficits are largely composed of the stimulus and economic-supporting initiatives caused by the COVID-19 crisis. These figures, as a percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), are nearly at the level experienced at the start of WWII. That year had previously been the highest budget deficit ever seen in the U.S. These figures reveal that the fight against the novel coronavirus is akin to waging a war. The combination of job losses and revenue collapse have left the country hobbled.

Spending to Survive

The argument from the U.S. Treasury has essentially been that the country will not survive without substantial stimulus. This, coupled with reduced spending, has left the U.S. government between a rock and a hard place. The need for liquidity has driven the stimuli. However, the subsequent pressure on the deficit has left many economists wondering how the fallout will eventually affect the nation. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has already indicated that another shutdown is ‘impossible’. With states like California threatening further action, the Treasury may have no options left, and the future remains uncertain.