WASHINGTON — The federal government posted a record $222.5 billion deficit in February, the Treasury Department reported Thursday.
Outlays jumped to $333.2 billion in February as receipts totaled $110.7 billion.
Economists predicted a $227 billion deficit.
For fiscal 2011 through February, the government had a $641.2 billion deficit, on outlays of $1.510 billion and receipts of $869.003 billion.