WASHINGTON—The federal government ran a deficit of $220 billion in August, a shortfall that widened compared with the year before as spending grew faster than revenue collection last month.
The government spent $523 billion last month, a $84 billion increase that largely reflected calendar differences in how payments were distributed in August 2021. Government revenues were $304 billion, a $35 billion increase. Adjusted for calendar differences, the deficit in August of this year and August of last year were roughly the same, the Treasury Department said in its monthly budget statement.
