This page provides an overview of how the federal government is projected to spend money in a single year. For a more detailed breakdown of the spending numbers, see TruthAndPolitics' Federal Budget: Detailed Numbers.
The chart and table depict projected federal spending for fiscal year 2004. Figures for fiscal year 2004 are estimates based on the president's fiscal policy and economic assumptions. Figures here are for outlays, not budget authority. The budget categories below roughly reflect the budget functions.
Numbers are the percent of total outlays.
| Name | percentage | $ billions | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total outlays | 100.0 | 2318.83 | ||
| Social Security | 21.4 | 496.17 | Function 650 | |
| Military | 19.6 | 453.68 | Function 050 | |
| Medicare | 11.7 | 270.45 | Function 570 | |
| Social welfare | 8.4 | 195.01 | Subfunctions 604, 605, 609 | |
| Medicaid | 7.9 | 182.56 | Medicaid | |
| Interest | 6.7 | 156.26 | Function 900 | |
| Retirement, disability, unemployment | 6.2 | 144.49 | Subfunctions 601, 602, 603 | |
| Education, training, employment, social services | 3.8 | 87.21 | Function 500 | |
| Transportation | 2.9 | 68.14 | Function 400 | |
| Other health | 2.6 | 60.94 | Health (function 550) minus Medicaid | |
| Veterans | 2.6 | 60.45 | Function 700 | |
| Other | 6.2 | 143.46 | Sum of following items: | |
| Administration of justice | 1.8 | 41.60 | Function 750 | |
| International affairs | 1.5 | 34.24 | Function 150 | |
| Natural resources and environment | 1.4 | 31.66 | Function 300 | |
| General government | 1.1 | 25.42 | Function 800 | |
| Science | 1.0 | 22.29 | Function 250 | |
| Agriculture | 0.9 | 20.12 | Function 350 | |
| Community and regional development | 0.8 | 18.76 | Function 450 | |
| Commerce and housing credit | 0.3 | 7.72 | Function 370 | |
| Energy | 0.0 | 0.96 | Function 270 | |
| Offsetting receipts | -2.6 | -59.32 | Offsetting receipts | |
Figures below 100.0 in the column entitled percentage may not add up to 100 because of rounding errors.
Units: the figures in the column entitled $ billions are millions of dollars. They have not been adjusted for inflation. Examples:
Some of the numbers in the table are negative. This is because offsetting receipts and collections are recorded as negative outlays.
Public Budget Database, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2005.
The choice of budget categories in the piechart and table were influenced by Anders Schneiderman and Nathan Newman, The National Budget Simulation.
The following documents were used in the development of this presentation of the budget:
Page last updated on 2004 February 25