In April, spending on education programs fell by 51% to $2 billion and Medicare outlays dropped by 48% to $31 billion.
Receipts of individual withheld taxes rose by 8% to $147 billion, and corporate tax receipts climbed 6% to $33 billion
The surplus of $59 billion is the first of Barack Obama’s presidency, and lands at the outset of a presidential-election campaign expected to be fought largely over the issues of government spending, taxes and jobs.
The surplus in September 2008 — the month Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy — was $46 billion.
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