Final answer:
The federal budget in the first decade of the 2000s experienced consistent deficits, with especially deep deficits during the 2007-2009 recession.
Step-by-step explanation:
The behavior of the federal budget in the first decade of the 2000s can be characterized by consistent deficits. After a brief period of surplus in the late 1990s, the federal budget returned to a deficit in 2002 and faced particularly deep deficits during the 2007-2009 recession.
Economic conditions, federal spending, and tax policies all contributed to the fluctuations in the budget balance during this period.