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U.S. federal deficit soars to record $3.1 trillion in 2020

16 October 2020
Dan Ackermann

The U.S. budget deficit hit a record $3.1 trillion in the 2020 fiscal year, according to data released Friday by the Treasury Department.

Why it matters: The deficit — which measures the gap between what the government spends and what it brings in through taxes and other revenue streams — illustrates the massive impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the economy.

  • The shortfall easily eclipsed the previous record set in 2009, when the deficit was $1.4 trillion, per CNBC.

By the numbers:

  • The federal government spent $6.552 trillion for the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, according government data. That's up from $4.447 trillion spent last fiscal year.
  • The government brought in $3.42 trillion in tax revenue in the 2020 fiscal year, down slightly from 2019.
  • Much of the 2020 deficit can be attributed to the $2.2 trillion CARES Act, passed in March.

What they're saying: In a statement on Friday, Treasury said the deficit was $2 trillion more than originally forecast due to actions taken to stem the economic impact of the coronavirus.

  • “Thanks to President Trump’s pro-growth policies and the bipartisan CARES Act, we are experiencing a strong economic recovery,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday. 
  • “The Administration remains fully committed to supporting American workers, families, and businesses and to ensuring that our robust economic rebound continues,” Mnuchin said.

The big picture: The data come as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House remain deadlocked in negotiations on a new round of stimulus aid.

  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday said he would not put a potential $1.8 trillion deal struck by democrats and the Trump administration on the Senate floor, noting the number is “a much larger amount than I can sell to my members."

Go deeper: Employment gains are reversing course

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.