What are the major expenditures of the US government?
Emma Jordan
Published Mar 17, 2026
Major categories of FY 2017 spending included: Healthcare such as Medicare and Medicaid ($1,077B or 27% of spending), Social Security ($939B or 24%), non-defense discretionary spending used to run federal Departments and Agencies ($610B or 15%), Defense Department ($590B or 15%), and interest ($263B or 7%).
What are the expenditures of the government?
Definition: Government expenditure refers to the purchase of goods and services, which include public consumption and public investment, and transfer payments consisting of income transfers (pensions, social benefits) and capital transfer.
What are the top 5 expenditures for the federal government in 2020?
Fiscal 2020 spending has been dominated by health care, entitlements and the military, with the Health and Human Services Department ($1.3 trillion), Social Security Administration ($1.2 trillion) and Defense Department ($690 billion) the top-three spending agencies.
How much does the US government spend in 2020?
In 2020, the government spent $6.55 trillion. The government spends money on programs that ensure the well-being of the people of the United States.
How much money does the US have in total?
How much money is in the United States? According to estimates from March 2021, the total amount of physical currency in the U.S. is $2.1 trillion.
What are the top 3 federal expenditures?
Mandatory and Discretionary Spending The U.S. Treasury divides all federal spending into three groups: mandatory spending, discretionary spending and interest on debt.
Is government spending public record?
The federal government has spent $3.00 trillion in response to. COVID-19. USAspending is the official open data source of federal spending information. We track how federal money is spent in communities across America and beyond.
Where does government get its money?
Most government money comes from: Collecting taxes, or revenue, from people and businesses. Borrowing it by selling Treasury securities (savings bonds, notes, and Treasury bills)
