A department-by-department guide to cutting the government's budget.
The Department of Education provides loans and grants to college students and subsidizes elementary and secondary schools.
The department will spend $79 billion in 2011, or about $670 for every U.S. household. It employs 4,400 workers and operates 171 subsidy programs.
The Department of Health and Human Services administers Medicare, Medicaid, and hundreds of other subsidy and welfare programs.
The department will spend $910 billion in 2011, or about $7,710 for every U.S. household. It employs 68,000 workers and operates more than 420 subsidy programs.
The Department of the Interior oversees more than 500 million acres of land, distributes subsidized irrigation water, and administers aid programs for American Indians.
The department spent $21 billion in 2011, or about $180 for every U.S. household. It employs 70,000 workers.
Has Congress Cut Any Spending Yet?
It’s been a year since Republicans assumed control in the House in the wake of the 2010 elections, which were powered by Tea Party concerns about massive federal spending and deficits. With the more conservative House, has Congress made any progress on spending cuts yet? Read more
Downsizing the Interior Department
Cato has published a new section on www.downsizinggovernment.org that examines the Department of the Interior. Read more
The New Pentagon Budget: Better, but Not Great
The changes announced in the Pentagon’s new budget guidance are, from my perspective, mostly good news, but woefully insufficient. They show how even limited austerity encourages prioritization among weapons systems that suddenly have to compete. A few more budgets like this and we’ll be getting somewhere. Read more
