US January Budget Deficit Hits Record $163 Billion as New Aid Checks Sent Out

U.S. one hundred dollar notes in a picture illustration taken in Seoul on Feb. 7, 2011. Lee Jae-Won/Reuters

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government posted a budget deficit of $163 billion in January, a record high for the month and a $130 billion jump from the deficit in the same month last year, as a new round of direct payments to individuals were distributed, the Treasury said on Feb. 10.

Receipts for January rose 3 percent from the year-earlier period to $385 billion, while outlays grew 35 percent to $547 billion. Both receipts and outlays were record highs for January.