WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government had a $182 billion budget surplus in April, confounding market expectations for a deficit, according to Treasury Department data released on Wednesday.
The budget surplus was $106 billion in April 2016, according to Treasury’s monthly budget statement.
The fiscal 2017 year-to-date deficit was $344 billion compared with $353 billion in the same period of fiscal 2016.
When accounting for calendar adjustments, the surplus last month was $145 billion compared with an adjusted surplus of $146 billion the prior year. The adjusted deficit for the fiscal year to date was $373 billion compared with $314 billion the prior fiscal year period.
Receipts last month totaled $456 billion, up 4 percent from April 2016, while outlays stood at $273 billion, a decrease of 18 percent from the same month a year earlier.
(Reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
GREAT NEWS USE IT TO BUILD THE FREEK’N WALL!!!!
all the illegals leaving really is paying off
Make sure there are no sneaking Dragons lying in wait in May then make a very public payment toward the deficit. Too often politicians treat a surplus as “found” money and it disappears into the pet spending programs faster then Barack Obama cashing a check for some useless speech somewhere. Hey Barack, just how much were you paid and who actually paid it?
Dems: WTF! What an outrage! We’re not spending enough!
scr – you meant toward the debt, right?
$80 billion here, $80 billion there, pretty soon we’re talking real money.
@Dadof4; Quite right.
How is Soc Security holding up?
A Debt of $20 Trillion and a Surplus of $182 Billion?
Hmmmm …
Let’s see if I can do that with my personal finances and avoid paying ANY taxes, whatsoever … if I was a Demonrat (or Ryan “conservative”), I’d be able to get some of that “surplus” …
Imaginary Accounting 101.
izlamo delenda est …
Nothing to get excited about. It is a combination of 2016 extension payments for individuals and corporations, plus the 1st quarter estimates are due 4/15. Also, end of the 1st quarter payroll tax payments. April is always a good collections month every year because of the above factors.
I never understood the ‘surplus’ stuff. If you still owe money, you don’t have a surplus.
@Tim: At this rate, we can pay-off the national debt in 9 years!