The GOP tax cuts aren't popular, so Republicans want to do more of them

[progree]

17. Bad news in August, and for the first 11 months of Fiscal Year 2018

In my 4 paragraphs, I'm going to skip the August 2018 vs. August 2017 comparison, because of the timings of weekends and holidays -- the deficit nearly doubled, but when adjusted for the timing of weekends and holidays, its up 19%, still a scary number. But I'm not a big fan of 1 month comparisons, Rather, I'll focus on the 11 months of this fiscal year vs. the first 11 months of the last fiscal year.

U.S. budget deficit widens to fifth-highest ever, CBO Reports, MarketWatch, 9/11/18

... The Treasury Department will report final official numbers on Thursday, and they are usually very similar to the CBO’s.

... The big picture: The budget deficit is widening in a big way. In the first 11 months of the fiscal year, the deficit was $895 billion, which is $222 billion more than the previous year (that's a 33% increase -Progree). Outlays have climbed 7% while revenue rose 1%.

Corporate taxes have plummeted by 30% this fiscal year, both because of the lower rate as well as the expanded ability to immediately deduct the full value of equipment purchases. Individual income and payroll taxes have climbed 4%, as increasing wages — mostly, due to more people having jobs — offset a lower withholding rate.

Spending on Social Security and Medicare have climbed 4% as more baby boomers retire, outlays on net interest on the debt have jumped 19% in part due to a higher rate of inflation triggering more payments to inflation-protected securities holders, and defense spending has jumped 6%.

More: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-budget-deficit-widens-to-fifth-highest-ever-cbo-reports-2018-09-11?siteid=yhoof2&yptr=yahoo

I highlight the big jump in interest on the debt, since that comes out of revenues, leaving less to spend on programs. More on interest on the debt: https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142154750#post17