{
  "id": 895937,
  "title": "DOGE Failed — America's Budget Deficit Problem is Getting Worse",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/doge-failed-americas-budget-deficit-problem-is-getting-worse",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-14T17:18:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/doge-failed-americas-budget-deficit-problem-is-getting-worse-12324534"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The U.S. budget deficit in July 2026 reached a record $432 billion, with the government spending $766 billion while only collecting $334 billion in revenue. This is the highest deficit ever recorded for July and marks a significant increase from previous years. The Treasury Department attributes this surge to increased outlays and tariff refunds, with an additional $99 billion in spending pulled forward due to August 1 being a nonbusiness day. The cumulative deficit for the first 10 months of the fiscal year now stands at $1.8 trillion, up from $1.6 trillion the previous year. This has raised concerns among fiscal conservatives about the long-term implications, including high interest rates, trillion-dollar interest payments, and the potential insolvency of Social Security and Medicare. The failed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), President Trump's cost-cutting agency, has been criticized for overstating its achievements, with its de facto leader Elon Musk originally aiming for $2 trillion in savings but settling for a $150 billion reduction in the 2026 fiscal year. DOGE's website still shows $215 billion in estimated savings, but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found its claims to be unreliable and lacked supporting evidence.",
  "summary": "The agency delivered only a fraction of its promised savings, and is being blamed as the country's budgetary issues grow.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}