(THE BALANCE) Kimberly Amadeo, January 27, 2017 — Which president ran the largest budget deficits? There are two ways to answer that question. The most popular way is to add up the deficits for each year the president was in office. But a president doesn’t control the first year’s deficit. The previous president’s federal budget is still in effect for most of that year. That’s because the federal government’s fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30.

Source: https://www.thebalance.com/deficit-by-president-what-budget-deficits-hide-3306151