[originaltext] The United States trade deficit widened, bringing the gap for l

The United States trade deficit widened, bringing the gap for last year to a record high of more than 725 billion dollars. The Commerce Department reported that the gap between what America sells abroad and what it imports rose by more than 65 billion dollars in December. It’s been 15 years since the US was somewhere close to selling as much overseas as it buys from abroad. But the concern about the size of the trade deficit has grown in the last few years. Last year it was equivalent to 5.8 percent of total US national income. It’s a problem politically because many members of Congress regard it as a sign that American jobs are being lost to other countries. The point was underlined by the especially contentious bilateral deficit with some Asian countries.