Spending Categories

The Entire Federal Budget

For generations, politicians have promised that they would get the budget under control. Yet practically every year the U.S. has run enormous budget deficits, regardless of the party in the White House or Congress.

The federal government as envisioned by the Founding Fathers was meant to be a fairly modest institution with a limited set of powers and functions. In the early days of the Republic, the federal budget was less than $10 million a year. A century ago, it was still under a billion. Even adjusted for inflation, these numbers represent a tiny federal government compared to the nearly $4 trillion one we have today.

Under the Bush and Obama administrations, the federal budget has nearly doubled. Politicians continue to bicker over small and relatively meaningless cuts, deliberating over a trillion dollars to be reduced over ten years, when in fact bigger cuts are needed even on an annual basis simply to address the more than trillion dollars in deficit spending—the amount the national debt increases every year. At MyGovCost we reveal the expensive price tag for the largest programs but also bring attention to the smaller programs that should also be cut and reined in to help restore America to fiscal solvency.

Learn more about the Federal Budget’s problems and possible solutions:

“An Academic Controversy with Real World Consequences”
Craig Eyermann (MyGovCost) April 22, 2013

“The Next Fiscal Cliff: More Political Theatre”
Randall Holcombe (The Beacon) February 25, 2013

“A Comparison of Three Government Budgets”
Randall Holcombe (The Beacon) May 3, 2012

“Spending Cuts Are More Effective for Deficit Reduction”
Carl Close (The Beacon) August 1, 2011

“How to Cut the 2011 Federal Budget by 2/3 and Have a $1.3 Trillion Surplus”
David Theroux (MyGovCost) February 11, 2011

“Under Bush, Federal Spending Increases at Fastest Rate in 30 Years”
(Independent Institute) June 24, 2004

See Also:

The Independent Institute’s Archive on Fiscal Policy and Debt