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.

  • 2024 Federal Spending

    2024 government spending on key areas of the budget.

  • 2024 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

$1,055,469,000,000
$3,155 $6,556 $8,045

National Defense

$708,571,000,000
$2,118 $4,401 5,401

Veterans Services

$346,898,000,000
$1,037 $2,155 2,644

Foreign Aid and International Programs - More info

$80,102,000,000
$239 $498 $611

Foreign Aid/Humanitarian Assistance

$37,541,000,000
$112 $233 286

Other International Affairs

$42,561,000,000
$127 $264 324

Science, Space, and Technology - More info

$42,614,000,000
$127 $265 $325

NASA

$24,914,000,000
$74 $155 190

National Science Foundation

$9,136,000,000
$27 $57 70

Energy Research

$8,564,000,000
$26 $53 65

Energy - More info

$21,210,000,000
$63 $132 $162

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

$2,486,000,000
$7 $15 19

Other Energy

$18,724,000,000
$56 $116 143

Natural Resources and Environment - More info

$70,350,000,000
$210 $437 $536

Environmental Protection Agency

$17,410,000,000
$52 $108 133

Other Natural Resources and Environment

$52,940,000,000
$158 $329 404

Farm Subsidies - More info

$29,814,000,000
$89 $185 $227

Education - More info

$147,698,000,000
$442 $917 $1,126

K-12 and Vocational Education

$88,199,000,000
$264 $548 672

Higher Education

$59,499,000,000
$178 $370 453

Health Care - More info

$1,655,166,000,000
$4,948 $10,281 $12,616

Medicare

$836,321,000,000
$2,500 $5,195 6,374

Medicaid

$538,500,000,000
$1,610 $3,345 4,104

Children's Health Insurance Program

$16,987,000,000
$51 $106 129

Premium Tax Credits for Individual Insurance Programs

$95,233,000,000
$285 $592 726

National Institutes of Health

$46,285,000,000
$138 $287 353

Centers for Disease Control

$15,479,000,000
$46 $96 118

Food and Drug Administration

$3,935,000,000
$12 $24 30

Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund

$20,869,000,000
$62 $130 159

Other Health Care

$81,557,000,000
$244 $507 622

Income Security - More info

$703,140,000,000
$2,102 $4,367 $5,359

Food Stamps

$126,601,000,000
$378 $786 965

Child Nutrition

$39,356,000,000
$118 $244 300

Unemployment Compensation

$52,587,000,000
$157 $327 401

Supplemental Security Income

$59,506,000,000
$178 $370 454

Federal Civilian Retirement

$110,687,000,000
$331 $687 844

Military Retirement

$73,900,000,000
$221 $459 563

Housing Assistance

$69,292,000,000
$207 $430 528

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

$16,063,000,000
$48 $100 122

Earned Income Tax Credit

$62,988,000,000
$188 $391 480

Child Tax Credit

$26,818,000,000
$80 $167 204

Other Income Security

$65,342,000,000
$195 $406 498

Social Security - More info

$1,463,386,000,000
$4,375 $9,089 $11,154

Transportation - More info

$133,474,000,000
$399 $829 $1,017

Highway Project Grants

$52,031,000,000
$156 $323 397

Transit Project Grants

$17,919,000,000
$54 $111 137

Federal Aviation Administration

$23,918,000,000
$72 $149 182

Transportation Security Administration

$5,466,000,000
$16 $34 42

Other Transportation

$34,140,000,000
$102 $212 260

Administration of Justice - More info

$85,379,000,000
$255 $530 $651

Federal Courts/Attorneys

$21,108,000,000
$63 $131 161

Customs and Border Protection

$20,571,000,000
$61 $128 157

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

$9,313,000,000
$28 $58 71

Federal Prisons

$8,322,000,000
$25 $52 63

Federal Bureau of Investigation

$5,103,000,000
$15 $32 39

Other Justice

$20,962,000,000
$63 $130 160

Federal Emergency Management Agency - More info

$33,288,000,000
$100 $207 $254

General Government - More info

$38,531,000,000
$115 $239 $294

COVID Relief Fund for States/Localities

$4,000,000,000
$12 $25 30

Congressional Salaries

$142,000,000
$0 $1 1

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

$587,000,000
$2 $4 4

National Endowment for the Arts

$219,000,000
$1 $1 2

National Endowment for the Humanities

$214,000,000
$1 $1 2

Other General Government

$33,369,000,000
$100 $207 254

Interest on the Debt

$744,000,000,000
$2,224 $4,621 $5,671

TOTAL 2024 SPENDING

$6,348,000,000,000
$18,978 $39,429 $48,384

TOTAL 2024 REVENUE

$4,847,000,000,000
$14,490 $30,106 $36,944

TOTAL 2023 DEFICIT

$1,501,000,000,000
$4,487 $9,323 $11,441

Reduced Tax Rates on Capital Gains and Dividends - More info

$119,820,000,000
$358 $744 $913

Exclusion for Employer-Paid Health Insurance Premiums - More info

$411,850,000,000
$1,231 $2,558 $3,139

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

$117,830,000,000
$352 $732 $898

Child Tax Credit - More info

$109,470,000,000
$327 $680 $834

Preferential Tax Treatment of Defined Benefit Pensions - More info

$69,950,000,000
$209 $434 $533

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

$35,110,000,000
$105 $218 $268

Accelerated Write-Offs for Business Equipment - More info

$-8,220,000,000
$-25 $-51 $-63

Earned Income Tax Credit - More info

$66,930,000,000
$200 $416 $510

Premium Tax Credits for Individual Insurance Programs

$47,280,000,000
$141 $294 $360

Pass-Through Deduction - More info

$50,770,000,000
$152 $315 $387

Exclusion of Capital Gains at Death - More info

$51,860,000,000
$155 $322 $395

Exclusion of Social Security Benefits - More info

$31,730,000,000
$95 $197 $242

Exclusion of Gains for Home Sales - More info

$52,260,000,000
$156 $325 $398

Charitable Deduction - More info

$82,190,000,000
$246 $510 $626

Exclusion for Municipal Bonds - More info

$36,550,000,000
$109 $227 $279

Mortgage Interest Deduction - More info

$36,820,000,000
$110 $229 $281

Tax Benefits for IRAs - More info

$25,020,000,000
$75 $155 $191

State and Local Tax Deduction - More info

$15,240,000,000
$46 $95 $116

Health Cost Deductions - More info

$34,340,000,000
$103 $213 $262

Higher Education Tax Credits - More info

$17,610,000,000
$53 $109 $134

Exclusion of Life Insurance Benefits - More info

$18,760,000,000
$56 $117 $143

Research and Experimentation Credit - More info

$26,530,000,000
$79 $165 $202

Other Tax Expenditures - More info

$395,836,697,247
$1,183 $2,459 $3,017