U.S. posts record $308 billion budget surplus in April as federal tax receipts surge

[In It to Win It]

Market Watch

The numbers: The U.S. posted a budget surplus of $308 billion in April — the largest on record — owing to a big increase in federal taxes and lower spending after the end of government stimulus.

Based on current trends, the government could register a budget deficit of under $1 trillion in fiscal 2022 for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Key details: The amount of taxes collected last month almost doubled to $864 billion — also a record high — from $439 billion a year ago.

[RussBLib]

1. and saving $80 billion/month helps

that $80 billion/month is what we were spending while we were in Afghanistan. Upwards of 1 trillion/yr

and so here is another thing Dems should be touting on the campaign trail.

[Moostache]

2. Cue Republicans blaming this for the inflation rate KNOWING better but not caring.

Everything is so ridiculously dumbed down to the lowest common denominator these days in widespread media that it makes me sick.

The only messaging is not "Biden's plans are bad and/or failing to address issues" but rather "we hate Biden cause he's on Team Blue and therefore bad".

People know inflation is bad because it costs them more to buy anything, they don't have a fucking CLUE whta drives it, how many of Biden's proposals have been killed without ever being tried or implemented and just how the profiterring from the oil and gas industry (as they see a possibly last opportunity to line their pockets with record profits) is driving much of the rising inflation since January.

All the idiots out in the hinterlands and Bible-belt and Rust-belt and rural America seem to be able to process is "Biden...Bad" like some kind of riff on the old SNL skit with Phil Hartmann as Frankenstein doing "Fire...BAD!!!".

[Tree Lady]

3. Nothing of ours seems to pass to help people

How much do you bet they will jump on money for the military?

[gratuitous]

4. Will anyone in the media dare ask the deficit peacocks about this?

Magic 8 Ball says, "Reply Haz--ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"

[TheRealNorth]

5. Trump and the Republicans will try to claim credit for it...

Saying that this is a result of giving tax cuts to the rich. And because we have no messaging strategy, people that do not closely follow this stuff will therefore nod their heads and give credit to the Republicans.

[Midnight Writer]

6. If a deficit falls in a media vacuum and no one hears about it, does it make a noise?