Spending, assets and obligations

Federal public money

Explore government expenditure, investment assets, financing, tax breaks, and future obligations across federal, state, city and county governments. Follow the records and see the coverage gaps.

25

Money tracks

The main ways government pays, invests, finances, or commits resources.

50 states

Reported finance records

FY2023 and FY2024; 16 additional source-defined measures per state.

Visible gaps

Coverage before conclusions

A linked source or tracker is not proof that every transaction is captured.

Choose the money trail.

Budgets answer what was authorized. Expenditure records answer what was spent. Investment and debt schedules answer what is held or owed. Tax estimates and future commitments answer other questions. These tracks overlap or use different measures; they are a navigation map, not an additive national spending total.

01 / Annual expenditure

Day-to-day operations

Keeping public services running: supplies, routine services, employee costs, and repairs.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

02 / Expenditure detail

Public payroll and employee benefits

What government pays for staff, employer benefits, overtime, and administration.

Existing dashboards, official sources, and collection gaps →

03 / Expenditure detail

Contracts and vendor payments

Payments for goods and services, from a contract award through its invoices and delivery.

Existing dashboards, official sources, and collection gaps →

04 / Annual expenditure

Grants and government transfers

Public money moved to another government, nonprofit, university, or other funded organization.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

05 / Expenditure detail

Benefits and direct subsidies

Benefits, assistance, subsidies, scholarships, reimbursements, and direct support to people or organizations.

Existing dashboards, official sources, and collection gaps →

06 / Annual expenditure

Infrastructure and capital projects

Construction, land, buildings, equipment, and major improvements with a lasting public use.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

07 / Annual expenditure

Interest on government debt

The cost of borrowing public money.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

08 / Financing flow

Debt principal and refinancing

Repaying or retiring borrowed principal, including debt that is replaced through refinancing.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

09 / Insurance-trust payment

Pension benefit payments

Money paid from government-administered retirement systems to beneficiaries, including withdrawals.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

10 / Insurance-trust payment

Unemployment benefit payments

Payments from government-administered unemployment compensation systems.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

11 / Insurance-trust payment

Workers’ compensation benefits

Benefits paid by state-administered workers’ compensation systems.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

12 / Insurance-trust payment

Other social-insurance benefits

Payments from other government social-insurance systems, including applicable disability and sickness programs.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

13 / Annual expenditure

Public utilities and transit

Government-operated water, electricity, gas, and transit services.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

14 / Annual expenditure

Public enterprises and liquor operations

Government commercial activities, authorities, and enterprise funds.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

15 / Overlapping expenditure exhibit

Lottery prizes and operations

Lottery ticket proceeds, prizes, administration, and transfers for public purposes.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

16 / Asset balance

Public investment holdings

What public entities hold in cash, deposits, securities, and public investment portfolios at a reporting date.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

17 / Asset transaction

Investment purchases and sales

Executed security purchases, sales, maturities, and investment income.

Existing dashboards, official sources, and collection gaps →

18 / Credit flow or asset

Government loans and credit

Direct lending, credit programs, loan repayments, and related subsidy costs.

Existing dashboards, official sources, and collection gaps →

19 / Estimated revenue forgone

Tax breaks and revenue forgone

Public support delivered through tax exclusions, exemptions, deductions, credits, and preferential rates.

Existing dashboards, official sources, and collection gaps →

20 / Liability or contingent exposure

Guarantees and future obligations

Guarantees, insurance promises, legal claims, cleanup duties, and commitments that may require future public money.

Existing dashboards, official sources, and collection gaps →

21 / Commitment and payment

Leases and public-private partnerships

Public leases, concessions, long-term service arrangements, and partnerships with private operators.

Existing dashboards, official sources, and collection gaps →

22 / Separate accounting measure

Fiduciary, noncash and other activity

Money held for others, agency transactions, depreciation, in-kind activity, adjustments, and items awaiting classification.

Existing dashboards, official sources, and collection gaps →

23 / Debt balance

Government debt outstanding

The outstanding principal reported by a government at its reporting date.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

24 / Financing flow

New borrowing and debt issuance

New long-term financing raised through borrowing, including debt used for refinancing.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

25 / Insurance-trust payment

Total social-insurance trust payments

The reported total for retirement, unemployment, workers’ compensation, and other social-insurance payments.

50-state reported measure + federal/local source routes →

Start with the owner and the reporting entity.

Federal agency outlays, award obligations, credit-program assets, and consolidated investment balances differ. Intra-government transactions must be eliminated when consolidating the federal government.

Official portfolio summary · 2025-09-30

United States government — consolidated reporting entities

$142,900,000,000

Reported carrying values: fair-value hierarchy plus other measurement bases, rounded to $0.1 billion. Note 8 investment assets only. Intra-government Treasury securities are eliminated; GSE investments appear separately in Note 7. This is a balance, not annual spending. GAO disclaimed an opinion on the consolidated financial statements because of material weaknesses and other limitations.

Reported asset balances, not annual expenditures
Reported class / entityAmountEvidence
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation$67,800,000,000U.S. government FY2025 Note 8: Investments ↗
National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust$27,100,000,000U.S. government FY2025 Note 8: Investments ↗
Tennessee Valley Authority$14,800,000,000U.S. government FY2025 Note 8: Investments ↗
Department of Defense$10,600,000,000U.S. government FY2025 Note 8: Investments ↗
Department of the Treasury$9,400,000,000U.S. government FY2025 Note 8: Investments ↗
Department of Commerce$9,200,000,000U.S. government FY2025 Note 8: Investments ↗
All other$4,000,000,000U.S. government FY2025 Note 8: Investments ↗

Amounts retain each source’s stated precision. These summaries remain separate from the issuer-level securities ledger.

Official portfolio summary · 2025-09-30

U.S. Treasury — government-sponsored enterprise investments

Reported balance-sheet value; see Note 7; rounded to $0.1 billion. GSE investment assets shown separately from Note 8. Prior FY2024 balance is restated. Changes in balances are not gross purchases.

Reported asset balances, not annual expenditures
Reported class / entityAmountEvidence
FY2025 GSE investments$374,500,000,000U.S. government FY2025 balance sheets ↗
Restated FY2024 GSE investments$305,800,000,000U.S. government FY2025 balance sheets ↗

Amounts retain each source’s stated precision. These summaries remain separate from the issuer-level securities ledger.

Coverage is part of the record.

This map covers the main financial mechanisms and links their available trackers. It does not claim every public entity, recipient, or transaction has been collected. Every category remains open to additional records and reconciliation. Amounts alone do not establish waste or fraud.

From tracking spending to demanding receipts

Public money should leave a public receipt.

Today’s reporting can show spending without a complete trail to the final recipient or proof of delivery. Help close those gaps, strengthen checks before payment, and reduce opportunities for fraud and abuse.

Support the Receipts & Transparency Act →

Read the citizen proposal and add your support.