WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government ran a budget surplus in January that was smaller than last year's surplus.
The Treasury Department says the surplus this year was $51.3 billion, down 7.1 percent from a January surplus a year ago of $55.2 billion. The government has run a surplus in January in 24 of the past 63 years. Government revenue is boosted in that month by quarterly estimated tax payments.
Through the first four months of this budget year, which began Oct. 1, the deficit totals $156.9 billion. That's 2.2 percent lower than the $160.4 billion deficit during the same period last year.
However, the Congressional Budget Office is projecting that the deficit this year will slightly exceed last year's imbalance, a forecast that does not cover President Donald Trump's proposed stimulus program.
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