So, this article makes it sound like the deficit for November is smaller this year than last year. That would be interesting, because there are no real major changes in the U.S. budget or spending since last year. But, then if you read the LAST sentence, you’ll see that the deficit would actually be $3 billion dollars LARGER for November 2014 compared to November 2013, except that there were differences in the timing of certain payments.
Sigh. Never let the facts get in the way of a good headline, I guess.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The federal government ran a budget deficit of $59 billion in November, the Congressional Budget Office estimated on Friday, $76 billion less than in November 2013. Receipts for the month were $191 billion, up $8 billion from the same month a year ago. The government spent $249 billion in November, $68 billion less than a year ago. CBO said that the November deficit would have been $3 billion higher than last year’s if not for the timing of some payments.
Emphasis mine.