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

$1,117,461,000,000
$3,341 $6,941 $8,517

National Defense

$814,317,000,000
$2,434 $5,058 6,207

Veterans Services

$303,144,000,000
$906 $1,883 2,311

Foreign Aid and International Programs - More info

$81,782,000,000
$244 $508 $623

Foreign Aid/Humanitarian Assistance

$37,553,000,000
$112 $233 286

Other International Affairs

$44,229,000,000
$132 $275 337

Science, Space, and Technology - More info

$39,047,000,000
$117 $243 $298

NASA

$23,153,000,000
$69 $144 176

National Science Foundation

$8,451,000,000
$25 $52 64

Energy Research

$7,443,000,000
$22 $46 57

Energy - More info

$2,108,000,000
$6 $13 $16

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

$-7,106,000,000
$-21 $-44 -54

Other Energy

$9,214,000,000
$28 $57 70

Natural Resources and Environment - More info

$61,929,000,000
$185 $385 $472

Environmental Protection Agency

$15,220,000,000
$46 $95 116

Other Natural Resources and Environment

$46,709,000,000
$140 $290 356

Farm Subsidies - More info

$24,888,000,000
$74 $155 $190

Education - More info

$186,586,000,000
$558 $1,159 $1,422

K-12 and Vocational Education

$117,098,000,000
$350 $727 893

Higher Education

$69,488,000,000
$208 $432 530

Health Care - More info

$1,708,651,000,000
$5,108 $10,613 $13,023

Medicare

$840,527,000,000
$2,513 $5,221 6,406

Medicaid

$589,435,000,000
$1,762 $3,661 4,493

Children's Health Insurance Program

$17,584,000,000
$53 $109 134

Premium Tax Credits for Individual Insurance Programs

$75,028,000,000
$224 $466 572

National Institutes of Health

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

Centers for Disease Control

$16,262,000,000
$49 $101 124

Food and Drug Administration

$2,482,000,000
$7 $15 19

Public Health Emergency Fund

$45,251,000,000
$135 $281 345

Other Health Care

$78,902,000,000
$236 $490 601

Income Security - More info

$772,058,000,000
$2,308 $4,795 $5,885

Food Stamps

$127,034,000,000
$380 $789 968

Child Nutrition

$32,392,000,000
$97 $201 247

Unemployment Compensation

$39,629,000,000
$118 $246 302

Supplemental Security Income

$62,973,000,000
$188 $391 480

Federal Civilian Retirement

$104,236,000,000
$312 $647 794

Military Retirement

$74,200,000,000
$222 $461 566

Housing Assistance

$69,269,000,000
$207 $430 528

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

$162,740,000,000
$487 $1,011 1,240

Social Security - More info

$1,342,182,000,000
$4,013 $8,337 $10,230

Transportation - More info

$137,857,000,000
$412 $856 $1,051

Highway Project Grants

$48,595,000,000
$145 $302 370

Transit Project Grants

$24,741,000,000
$74 $154 189

Federal Aviation Administration

$25,207,000,000
$75 $157 192

Transportation Security Administration

$5,184,000,000
$15 $32 40

Other Transportation

$34,130,000,000
$102 $212 260

Administration of Justice - More info

$80,814,000,000
$242 $502 $616

Federal Courts/Attorneys

$20,605,000,000
$62 $128 157

Customs and Border Protection

$19,408,000,000
$58 $121 148

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

$9,088,000,000
$27 $56 69

Federal Prisons

$8,124,000,000
$24 $50 62

Federal Bureau of Investigation

$4,769,000,000
$14 $30 36

Other Justice

$18,820,000,000
$56 $117 143

Federal Emergency Management Administration - More info

$41,670,000,000
$125 $259 $318

General Government - More info

$43,071,000,000
$129 $268 $328

COVID Relief Fund for States/Localities

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

Congressional Salaries

$136,000,000
$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

$35,943,000,000
$107 $223 274

Interest on the Debt

$639,920,000,000
$1,913 $3,975 $4,877

TOTAL 2023 SPENDING

$6,221,426,000,000
$18,599 $38,642 $47,419

TOTAL 2023 REVENUE

$4,811,672,000,000
$14,385 $29,886 $36,674

TOTAL 2023 DEFICIT

$1,409,754,000,000
$4,215 $8,756 $10,745

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

$379,625,000,000
$1,135 $2,358 $2,893