The US government recorded a budget deficit¹ of $221bn (£147.6bn) in February - the largest monthly deficit in its history.

美国政府二月份预算赤字达2210亿美元，这是历史上最高的月度赤字。

The US deficit in 2008 stood at $459bn

The total deficit since the beginning of the fiscal² year（财政年度） in October now stands at $651.6bn, the figures from the US treasury³ show.

That puts it on track（走上正轨） to beat last year's record annual budget deficit of $1.4tn.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called the deficit "unsustainable".

However, he maintained that running the deficit was helping⁴ the US continue its recovery from the recession in the short-term.

Like the UK, the US is suffering from a fall in tax receipts（税收） due to tough economic conditions, while relying on increased spending to drive the recovery.

But analysts⁵ called the figures "frightening".

Earlier this year, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO国会预算局) said it expected the budget deficit to fall this year as the recovery takes hold（扛着，抓住） .