{"id":2569468,"date":"2026-02-12T17:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T22:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-economic-adviser-reveals-how-much-the-administration-cut-the-deficit-in-year-one\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T17:37:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T22:37:20","slug":"trump-economic-adviser-reveals-how-much-the-administration-cut-the-deficit-in-year-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-economic-adviser-reveals-how-much-the-administration-cut-the-deficit-in-year-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Economic Adviser Reveals How Much the Administration Cut the Deficit in Year One"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-economic-adviser-reveals-how-much-the-administration-cut-the-deficit-in-year-one%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2569468&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A pro-Trump piece argues that teh management has improved the nation\u2019s fiscal outlook by boosting growth,increasing tariff revenue,and cutting spending. Key points include:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Kevin Hassett claims the deficit was reduced by about $600 billion in the year due to high economic growth, tariff revenue, and a smaller federal workforce; he also says federal employment was cut by 360,000 jobs, saving nearly $30 billion annually.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The article frames these moves as steps toward a balanced budget and highlights a push for bipartisan fiscal duty.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; It showcases social media posts from Trump allies disputing negative coverage of debt projections, insisting that deficits are already lower than claimed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Bureau of labour Statistics data are cited to show a decline in federal employment (the total federal workforce is just under 2.7 million).<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece contrasts spending and deficits across administrations: FY2019 saw $4.4 trillion in spending with a $984 billion deficit, while 2024 spending reached about $6.8 trillion with a $1.8 trillion deficit, attributing much of the increase to pandemic-related appropriations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; It argues that under Trump private-sector jobs grew while federal employment declined to the lowest levels in decades.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; 2025 total revenue was $5.23 trillion (up from $4.9 trillion in 2024),aided by higher tariff revenue (about $264 billion in 2025 vs $118 billion in 2024),with expectations that tariff receipts will be higher in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The overall message is that, through growth, tariffs, and spending cuts, Trump is restoring the federal government\u2019s finances.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump&rsquo;s Director of the National Economic Council, Kevin Hassett, set the record straight Wednesday regarding the positive impact the administration is having on the national debt.<\/p>\n<p>Hassett told CNN, &ldquo;We were in a fiscal situation that was completely out of control when [Trump] came into office, and now we&rsquo;ve reduced the deficit by about $600 billion this year, because of high growth, tariff revenue, and reducing the federal workforce.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve reduced federal workers by 360,000 people, and that&rsquo;s, like, almost $30 billion a year in savings. What President Trump is doing is taking a big step towards getting closer to a balanced budget,&rdquo; he noted.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That kind of fiscal responsibility is something that people have been asking governments of both parties to do for a long time,&rdquo; Hassett said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">KEVIN HASSETT: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve reduced federal workers by 360,000 people, and that&rsquo;s like almost $30 billion a year in savings &hellip; We were in a fiscal situation that was completely out of control when <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/POTUS?\">@POTUS<\/a> came into office, and now we&rsquo;ve reduced the deficit by about $600 billion &hellip;&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OQ7pPYPIPo\">pic.twitter.com\/OQ7pPYPIPo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TrumpWarRoom\/status\/2021693200029642755?\">February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair also called out Politico for reporting that Trump policies are running up the deficit in a story headlined &ldquo;US Debt Forecast to Hit $64T in a Decade as Trump Policies Widen Deficit.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The January 2026 deficit is literally 35% lower than the January 2025 deficit. This &hellip; headline is fake. Made Up,&rdquo; he posted on social media.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The January 2026 deficit is literally 35% lower than the January 2025 deficit.<\/p>\n<p>This is headline is fake. Made Up.<\/p>\n<p>Fugazi math to push a narrative. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DX3S4Zl1uK\">https:\/\/t.co\/DX3S4Zl1uK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; James Blair (@JamesBlairUSA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesBlairUSA\/status\/2021627776131117114?\">February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>During Trump&rsquo;s first term, in fiscal year 2019, before the pandemic, the federal government spent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbo.gov\/publication\/56324\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$4.4 trillion<\/a>, with a $984 billion deficit.<\/p>\n<p>During President Joe Biden&rsquo;s last year in office, well after the pandemic, the federal government spent $6.8 trillion, with a deficit of $1.8 trillion. So the Biden administration, working hand-in-hand with a Democratic-led Congress, tacked on $2.4 trillion in annual expenditures.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the 2024 level of spending was $200 billion more than in 2020, when, on a bipartisan basis, the federal government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crfb.org\/blogs\/breaking-down-34-trillion-covid-relief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">appropriated trillions<\/a> in pandemic-related spending.<\/p>\n<p>So Biden and the Democrats never returned annual federal expenditures anywhere close to pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n<p>Under the previous administration, the size of the federal workforce <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-reduces-federal-workforce-lowest-level-decade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">increased by 6 percent<\/a>, with the total topping 3 million in the fall of 2024 for the first time since 1990, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/usafacts.org\/articles\/how-many-people-work-for-the-federal-government\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USA Facts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X, &ldquo;In President [Donald] Trump&rsquo;s second term, 615,000 private sector jobs have been added while federal employment has declined to its lowest level since 1966 &mdash; and the lowest level in recorded history as a  of the total workforce.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In President Trump&rsquo;s second term, 615,000 private sector jobs have been added while federal employment has declined to its lowest level since 1966 &mdash; and the lowest level in recorded history as a  of the total workforce. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GD2HMCtcui\">pic.twitter.com\/GD2HMCtcui<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PressSec\/status\/2021663913453269334?\">February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Bureau of Labor Statistics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/news.release\/pdf\/empsit.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>, &ldquo;In January, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal government employment continued<\/a> to decline (-34,000) as some federal employees who accepted a deferred resignation offer in 2025 came off federal payrolls. Since reaching a peak in October 2024, federal government employment is down by 327,000, or 10.9 percent.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The total federal workforce is now just under 2.7 million.<\/p>\n<p>In December, Treasury Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-delivers-blow-federal-deficit-drops-20-percent-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Scott Bessent<\/a> posted on <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecScottBessent\/status\/2000601555016585417?%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2000601555016585417%7Ctwgr%5Ea97215aaa1fa90f03a6455b6bf2a97d00956402f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.westernjournal.com%2Ftrump-delivers-blow-federal-deficit-drops-20-percent-biden%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a>, &ldquo;Thanks to President [Donald] Trump, the health of the U.S. government&rsquo;s finances is improving.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The current calendar year-to-date deficit is $1.52 trillion, which compares to a deficit of $1.93 trillion for the comparable period last year under Biden, a 21% drop,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-government-to-run-out-of-money-in-four-days-amid-overfull-senate-schedule\/\" title=\"Federal Government to Run Out of Money in Four Days amid Overfull Senate Schedule\">treasury secretary&#038;nbsp<\/a>;wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Not only is the deficit smaller under President Trump &ndash; the economy is also bigger. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-reduces-federal-workforce-to-lowest-level-in-a-decade\/\" title=\"... Reduces Federal Workforce to ... in a Decade\">full 2025 calendar year budget deficit<\/a> to GDP may total only 5.5%, substantially lower than the unsustainably high 6.8% in calendar year 2024 under Biden,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Thanks to President Trump, the health of the U.S. government&rsquo;s finances is improving.<\/p>\n<p>The current calendar year-to-date deficit is $1.52 trillion, which compares to a deficit of $1.93 trillion for the comparable period last year under Biden, a 21% drop.<\/p>\n<p>Not only is the deficit&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecScottBessent\/status\/2000601555016585417?\">December 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Total revenue to the federal treasury for fiscal year 2025, which ended on Sept. 30, was <a href=\"https:\/\/fiscaldata.treasury.gov\/americas-finance-guide\/national-deficit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$5.23 trillion<\/a> versus fiscal year 2024&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbo.gov\/publication\/61185\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$4.9 trillion<\/a>. That marks an increase of over $300 billion, which can be attributed partly to increased tariff revenue and a growing economy.<\/p>\n<p>The federal government reportedly collected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/media-reporting-trumps-tariffs-cost-americans-1000-ignoring-overall-savings-policies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$264 billion<\/a> in revenues in 2025, versus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crfb.org\/blogs\/tariff-revenue-soars-fy-2025-amid-legal-uncertainty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$118 billion<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s worth noting that most of Trump&rsquo;s tariffs did not kick in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-delivers-blow-federal-deficit-drops-20-percent-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">until April<\/a> of last year, meaning tariff revenues will likely be significantly higher in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>So through economic growth, tariff revenues, and cutting spending, Trump is getting the nation&rsquo;s fiscal house back in order.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrased version of the main points:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Kevin Hassett, Trump\u2019s National Economic Council director, said the administration inherited a fiscal crisis and has since cut the deficit by about $600 billion this year, thanks to stronger growth, tariff revenue, and a smaller federal workforce. He noted the federal workforce was reduced by 360,000 jobs, saving roughly $30 billion annually, and said this represents a significant step toward a balanced budget. He framed this as the kind of bipartisan fiscal responsibility many people have called for.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; White House aides pushed back against debt-forecast headlines, with Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair calling a Politico story fake and citing data that the January 2026 deficit was about 35% lower than January 2025.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece contrasts spending and deficits across administrations: in FY 2019 (pre-pandemic), outlays were about $4.4 trillion with a $984 billion deficit; in Biden\u2019s last year, outlays reached about $6.8 trillion with a $1.8 trillion deficit, implying roughly $2.4 trillion in additional annual spending. It also notes that 2024 spending was about $200 billion higher than in 2020 due to pandemic-related spending, and that federal employment rose to more than 3 million in fall 2024 under the previous administration.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The article cites a claim that in Trump\u2019s second term private-sector job growth continued while federal employment reached its lowest level since 1966. It also says federal payrolls have been shrinking, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a continued decline in federal government employment since late 2024.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Treasury figures cited include a year-to-date deficit of about $1.52 trillion for 2025 (down about 21% from the same period last year), and total 2025 revenue of about $5.23 trillion, up from $4.9 trillion in 2024. Tariff revenues are noted as contributing to revenue growth, with an expectation that tariff receipts will be higher in 2026 as tariffs take fuller effect.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Overall, the piece argues that, through a combination of economic growth, tariff revenue, and spending cuts, the administration is bringing the nation\u2019s fiscal situation back toward more orderly footing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2569469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Kevin-Hassett-and-Donald-Trump.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4463,73713,73714,3634,73715],"class_list":["post-2569468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-budget","tag-deficit-reduction-2","tag-fiscal-policy-2","tag-trump","tag-year-one-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Kevin-Hassett-and-Donald-Trump.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2569468"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2569472,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569468\/revisions\/2569472"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2569469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2569468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2569468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2569468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}