Federal budget

Where does federal spending go?

Social Security was the biggest item in fiscal 2025 at $1.58 trillion, out of $7.01 trillion in total. Medicare, other health programs and interest on the debt each cost close to $1 trillion, more than national defense at $917 billion. Two accounting lines are below zero, so the bars add up to the total.

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Source and date

Data as of
Published

The data

Budget function Outlays in US dollars
Social Security 1,580,685,783,034
Medicare 996,719,243,005
Health 978,877,168,640
Net Interest 970,358,886,994
National Defense 916,648,676,662
Income Security 701,583,598,130
Veterans Benefits and Services 377,161,882,981
Transportation 145,804,369,617
Natural Resources and Environment 88,312,257,166
Administration of Justice 85,180,458,290
Community and Regional Development 84,529,870,131
Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services 69,194,134,949
Agriculture 49,337,681,356
International Affairs 45,169,891,180
General Science, Space, and Technology 42,084,437,536
General Government 36,278,602,220
Energy 20,892,010,638
Commerce and Housing Credit -28,620,513,920
Undistributed Offsetting Receipts -150,224,771,559