A department-by-department guide to cutting the federal government's budget.
The Department of Commerce subsidizes businesses, restricts foreign trade, and oversees the Census Bureau and Patent Office.
The department will spend $11.8 billion in 2009, or about $101 for every U.S. household. It employs 53,000 workers and oversees more than 3,900 pages of regulations.
The Department of Agriculture administers large farm subsidy programs and runs the food stamp and school lunch programs.
The department will spend $116 billion in 2009, or about $991 for every U.S. household. It employs 96,000 workers and runs 198 different subsidy programs.
The Department of Energy oversees nuclear weapons sites, runs electric utilities, and subsidizes conventional and alternative fuels.
The department will spend $29 billion in 2009, or about $248 for every U.S. household. It employs 16,000 workers directly and oversees 100,000 contract workers.
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Americans pay a lot more tor sugar than do people in other countries. The culprit is the government, which imposes trade barriers and other damaging regulations on the industry. Read more
