The United States government posted a monthly deficit of $188 billion in March, with the government spending more than double what it took in last month, the Treasury department said in a report Tuesday.
The cumulative deficit through the first half of fiscal 2011, which began on October 1st, was a record $829 billion, about 16% higher than last years $717 billion shortfall in the first half of the year.
The monthly deficit was the second largest recorded for March, outpaced by the $192 billion gap posted in March of 2009.
Economists had expected a slightly higher deficit of $189 billion for the month.