United States Federal Deficit Graph

As you can see in the graph the U.S. federal deficit has not been this small since 2008. This might seem surprising since 2008 was the year with all the major bank failures. Yet it is quite likely that the (long lasting) recession of 2009 created a lot more costs for the government than those bank failures. The current recovery is seen in the outlays as well as in the revenues.

NY Times