Red ink: Federal deficit hits nearly $2 trillion

NPR | By Scott Horsley

Published October 16, 2026 at 2:41 PM MDT

The federal deficit for the fiscal year that just ended was nearly $2 trillion. That's the biggest budget gap since 2021, when the country was still recovering from the pandemic.

Tags

All Things Considered

Scott Horsley

Scott Horsley is NPR's Chief Economics Correspondent.

The Latest From Boise State Public Radio

Scandalized

In each episode of Scandalized, political scientists Charlie Hunt and Jaci Kettler unpack a political scandal from American history: the story, its scandalous details, the political meaning and motivations behind the act.

Listen to the new season of Scandalized

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.

Donate