Is It Worth It?

Check out the costs of proposed policies, tax breaks, and federal spending in the U.S. budget. Compare the annual or total cost with the cost per person, per taxpayer, or per household to see if you think it is worth it. Click an item to share on social media.

  • Policy Proposals

    The cost of policies Congress may consider.

  • 2023 Federal Spending

    2023 Government spending on key areas of the budget.

  • 2023 Federal Tax Breaks

    The cost of tax breaks (i.e. spending through the tax code).

Category
Annual Cost

Biden Administration Student Debt Changes - More info

$50,000,000,000
$149 $311 $381

Paid Family Leave - More info

$22,500,000,000
$67 $140 $171

Universal Pre-K - More info

$14,000,000,000
$42 $87 $107

Child Tax Credit Extension - More info

$130,000,000,000
$389 $807 $991

Earned Income Tax Credit Expansion - More info

$13,500,000,000
$40 $84 $103

SALT Deduction Cap Increase - More info

$23,500,000,000
$70 $146 $179

WEP/GPO Repeal - More info

$15,000,000,000
$45 $93 $114

Extend Expensing of Equipment and Research - More info

$40,500,000,000
$121 $252 $309

Free Community College - More info

$8,800,000,000
$26 $55 $67

Suspend Medicare Sequester - More info

$24,000,000,000
$72 $149 $183

Child Care Subsidies - More info

$25,500,000,000
$76 $158 $194

Defense and Military Benefits - More info

$1,107,702,000,000
$3,312 $6,880 $8,443

National Defense

$806,446,000,000
$2,411 $5,009 6,147

Veterans Services

$301,256,000,000
$901 $1,871 2,296

Foreign Aid and International Programs - More info

$79,127,000,000
$237 $491 $603

Foreign Aid/Humanitarian Assistance

$39,301,000,000
$117 $244 300

Other International Affairs

$39,826,000,000
$119 $247 304

Science, Space, and Technology - More info

$40,049,000,000
$120 $249 $305

NASA

$23,614,000,000
$71 $147 180

National Science Foundation

$8,470,000,000
$25 $53 65

Energy Research

$7,965,000,000
$24 $49 61

Energy - More info

$2,220,000,000
$7 $14 $17

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

$-7,838,000,000
$-23 $-49 -60

Other Energy

$10,058,000,000
$30 $62 77

Natural Resources and Environment - More info

$55,513,000,000
$166 $345 $423

Environmental Protection Agency

$11,552,000,000
$35 $72 88

Other Natural Resources and Environment

$43,961,000,000
$131 $273 335

Farm Subsidies - More info

$37,654,000,000
$113 $234 $287

Education - More info

$257,284,000,000
$769 $1,598 $1,961

K-12 and Vocational Education

$116,851,000,000
$349 $726 891

Higher Education

$140,433,000,000
$420 $872 1,070

Health Care - More info

$1,711,709,000,000
$5,117 $10,632 $13,047

Medicare

$834,158,000,000
$2,494 $5,181 6,358

Medicaid

$594,292,000,000
$1,777 $3,691 4,530

Children's Health Insurance Program

$17,066,000,000
$51 $106 130

Premium Tax Credits for Individual Insurance Programs

$80,909,000,000
$242 $503 617

National Institutes of Health

$43,180,000,000
$129 $268 329

Centers for Disease Control

$15,783,000,000
$47 $98 120

Food and Drug Administration

$2,432,000,000
$7 $15 19

Public Health Emergency Fund

$38,841,000,000
$116 $241 296

Other Health Care

$85,048,000,000
$254 $528 648

Income Security - More info

$783,091,000,000
$2,341 $4,864 $5,969

Food Stamps

$145,007,000,000
$434 $901 1,105

Child Nutrition

$32,552,000,000
$97 $202 248

Unemployment Compensation

$37,883,000,000
$113 $235 289

Supplemental Security Income

$62,211,000,000
$186 $386 474

Federal Civilian Retirement

$104,128,000,000
$311 $647 794

Military Retirement

$74,000,000,000
$221 $460 564

Housing Assistance

$67,093,000,000
$201 $417 511

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

$15,923,000,000
$48 $99 121

Earned Income Tax Credit

$57,848,000,000
$173 $359 441

Child Tax Credit

$25,814,000,000
$77 $160 197

Other Income Security

$160,632,000,000
$480 $998 1,224

Social Security - More info

$1,350,970,000,000
$4,039 $8,391 $10,297

Transportation - More info

$131,079,000,000
$392 $814 $999

Highway Project Grants

$47,353,000,000
$142 $294 361

Transit Project Grants

$24,441,000,000
$73 $152 186

Federal Aviation Administration

$24,862,000,000
$74 $154 189

Transportation Security Administration

$5,274,000,000
$16 $33 40

Other Transportation

$29,149,000,000
$87 $181 222

Administration of Justice - More info

$79,578,000,000
$238 $494 $607

Federal Courts/Attorneys

$20,123,000,000
$60 $125 153

Customs and Border Protection

$19,470,000,000
$58 $121 148

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

$9,089,000,000
$27 $56 69

Federal Prisons

$7,809,000,000
$23 $49 60

Federal Bureau of Investigation

$4,818,000,000
$14 $30 37

Other Justice

$18,269,000,000
$55 $113 139

Federal Emergency Management Administration - More info

$41,338,000,000
$124 $257 $315

General Government - More info

$41,004,000,000
$123 $255 $313

COVID Relief Fund for States/Localities

$6,000,000,000
$18 $37 46

Congressional Salaries

$135,000,000
$0 $1 1

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

$535,000,000
$2 $3 4

National Endowment for the Arts

$235,000,000
$1 $1 2

National Endowment for the Humanities

$222,000,000
$1 $1 2

Other General Government

$33,877,000,000
$101 $210 258

Interest on the Debt

$662,600,000,000
$1,981 $4,116 $5,050

TOTAL 2023 SPENDING

$6,350,050,000,000
$18,984 $39,441 $48,400

TOTAL 2023 REVENUE

$4,814,710,000,000
$14,394 $29,905 $36,697

TOTAL 2023 DEFICIT

$1,535,340,000,000
$4,590 $9,536 $11,702

Reduced Tax Rates on Capital Gains and Dividends - More info

$118,340,000,000
$354 $735 $902

Exclusion for Employer-Paid Health Insurance Premiums - More info

$386,580,000,000
$1,156 $2,401 $2,946

Preferential Tax Treatment of 401(k)s - More info

$115,490,000,000
$345 $717 $880

Child Tax Credit - More info

$108,360,000,000
$324 $673 $826

Preferential Tax Treatment of Defined Benefit Pensions - More info

$69,560,000,000
$208 $432 $530

Reduced Tax Rates on Foreign-Earned Multinational Business Income - More info

$32,840,000,000
$98 $204 $250

Accelerated Write-Offs for Business Equipment - More info

$6,100,000,000
$18 $38 $46

Earned Income Tax Credit - More info

$62,480,000,000
$187 $388 $476

Premium Tax Credits for Individual Insurance Programs

$54,840,000,000
$164 $341 $418

Pass-Through Deduction - More info

$50,230,000,000
$150 $312 $383

Exclusion of Capital Gains at Death - More info

$49,240,000,000
$147 $306 $375

Exclusion of Social Security Benefits - More info

$31,350,000,000
$94 $195 $239

Exclusion of Gains for Home Sales - More info

$50,540,000,000
$151 $314 $385

Charitable Deduction - More info

$77,760,000,000
$232 $483 $593

Exclusion for Municipal Bonds - More info

$38,650,000,000
$116 $240 $295

Mortgage Interest Deduction - More info

$35,660,000,000
$107 $221 $272

Tax Benefits for IRAs - More info

$24,430,000,000
$73 $152 $186

State and Local Tax Deduction - More info

$15,620,000,000
$47 $97 $119

Health Cost Deductions - More info

$33,230,000,000
$99 $206 $253

Higher Education Tax Credits - More info

$17,880,000,000
$53 $111 $136

Exclusion of Life Insurance Benefits - More info

$17,560,000,000
$52 $109 $134

Research and Experimentation Credit - More info

$24,980,000,000
$75 $155 $190

Other Tax Expenditures - More info

$379,634,000,000
$1,135 $2,358 $2,894