Federal Budget

The $2 bill isn’t rare; it’s just hiding. First printed in 1862, stopped in 1966, and revived in 1976, there are still 1.6 billion in circulation. People just don’t spend them.

Tracking began in 1939, when the federal workforce consisted of about 1 million people. The total peaked in 1990 at 3.4 million, and hit a recent low in 2014 at 2.7 million.

The Department of Education contributes about 8% of K–12 funding and administers targeted grants, civil‑rights enforcement, research, and data collection. Crucially, it is legally prohibited from directing curriculum, personnel decisions, or instructional content, leaving that control to states and districts.

In January of 2023, the United States reached the debt ceiling. This Vox article outlined the steps the US Treasury Department took in order to avoid the country defaulting on its debts.

According to the Hoover Institution, the federal debt will reach 195% of GDP in 2050. Reducing the debt obligations of the United States will require complex political and fiscal decision making. Can you be the one to figure it out? Use the Hoover Institution’s interactive calculator to manipulate the budget and create a more sustainable economic future for the United States.

Government shutdowns can prove costly to the economy. The Congressional Budget Office reported that the 2018 shutdown cost the economy an estimated $11B, including a permanent $3B loss.

The EPA spent $13.7B in 2024, making it 23rd among federal agencies in total expenditures. Of that money, more than half was distributed to state environmental agencies for sustainability and environmental protection programs.

See an up-to-date accounting of how much money the US federal government has spent this fiscal year. This helpful and interactive webpage from the US Treasury Department gives an expansive overview of how the government has spent its money and how spending trends have evolved over time.

An obscure US Mint law permitting it to create platinum coins of any amount surfaced as a possible means of quickly paying down the national debt. Here's an explanation from the creator of the idea.

Roughly a quarter of the US federal government's spending must be approved annually through a set of 12 appropriations bills in Congress. When they aren't, a government shutdown ensues, where federal agencies are legally barred from spending any further money on nonessentials. This explainer covers the basics of government shutdowns and their impact on the broader culture.