What's New
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Our new book! A People's Guide to the Federal Budget
We're thrilled to announce the release of our new book A People's Guide to the Federal Budget. It's a guide for the 2012 elections. It's a book to engage people of all ages and backgrounds in our democracy. It's the federal budget for the rest of us. More about this exciting new book. Check out the sneak preview.
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See the Numbers for Your State
The federal budget funds programs in your state like the Children's Health Insurance Program, the National School Lunch Program, and Head Start, among many others. National Priorities Project has the numbers: the current funding level in your state, projected funding in fiscal 2013, and the size of any cut or increase. You can see the numbers as part of our analysis of President Obama's FY 2013 budget request.
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Competing Visions for the 2013 Budget
Recently the House of Representatives considered two alternatives to the president’s fiscal 2013 budget request— the Republican draft budget resolution, introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan, and an alternative introduced by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). The difference between them is staggering. Read the full publication.
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With April 17-- tax day-- just a few days away, National Priorities Project shows you where your 2011 federal income taxes were spent-- down to the penny. And for the first time ever, we'll write you a receipt for your income taxes. We'll also connect taxes to your paycheck. The largest slice of your 2011 federal income taxes went to the military, with other sizable chunks going to health care, interest on the federal debt, and income security programs like Social Security and unemployment compensation. See the full publication here.
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In February President Obama released his fiscal year 2013 budget proposal, which includes $3.67 trillion in new budget authority. The president's budget includes $350 billion for job creation, the top budget priority for most Americans, according to a poll by The Hill newspaper. The second priority, according to the same poll, was for the president to cut spending. The new budget reduces federal spending by 3.7 percent, as compared to 2012. The president's budget is just a proposal, however. It will need approval from Congress to become law in fiscal year 2013, which begins on Oct. 1, 2012. In this interactive analysis, National Priorities Project looks at all the budget numbers, the history behind them, and why the president's budget matters.
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If you've visited our site before then you probably noticed that we have a whole new look. We're excited to bring you a more user-friendly site with many new ways of looking at the federal budget, including interactive visualizations, video tutorials on our homepage, and a whole new Federal Budget 101. We hope you'll love it as much as we do. Tell us what you think, and let us know if you encounter any problems, by visiting Contact Us.
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Primary Stakes: Tale of Two Super Tuesday States
The presidential election is about voters’ vision for how the federal government should serve the American people. National Priorities Project’s Primary Stakes series examines how residents of primary states currently rely on assistance from the federal government, and two Super Tuesday states illustrate that support from the federal government—and taxes paid—can vary widely. In fiscal 2010, the Ohio state government drew 38 percent of its revenues from the federal government.
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Federal Money Flows Into Hard-Hit Michigan
Primary voters in Michigan head to the polls on Feb. 28 to weigh in on the Republican nominating contest. Michigan has been hard hit by the Great Recession, and that will affect voters’ outlook in choosing their Republican nominee and a president in November. One thing the presidential election is about is voters’ vision for how the federal government should serve the American people, so National Priorities Project took a look at how Michigan currently benefits from federal spending. The average Michigan resident received $5,846 from the federal government in 2010—benefits that largely came through the Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance programs
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Military Spending and the FY 2013 Pentagon Budget
On Feb. 13 the Obama Administration released its proposed fiscal year 2013 budget for the federal government. The request includes $525.4 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD) in fiscal 2013, which begins on Oct. 1, 2012. Adjusted for inflation, this is 2.6 percent below fiscal 2012 levels, the first real decrease in the Pentagon's annual base budget in over a decade. The Defense Department plans to reduce spending by a total of $259 billion over five years and $487 billion over ten years. These figures do not include funding for the nuclear weapons activities of the Department of Energy nor do they include the costs of ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Federal Aid Assists Wealthy State of Colorado
Colorado residents attend caucuses on Feb. 7 to decide their pick for the Republican nominee for president. Choosing a presidential candidate in part means caucus-goers will consider how they want the government to spend their federal tax dollars. National Priorities Project took a look at how much Colorado residents currently pay in federal taxes, and what they get in return.
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An Economy That's Built to last: The 2012 State of the Union Address
Jackie Bray is a single mother who lost her job as a mechanic but has a new one working at a wind turbine factory in Charlotte, North Carolina. In his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, President Obama used this story to illustrate his vision for America’s economy. His focus was on the middle class and a government that will create the conditions for the middle class to flourish. To that end, he described measures for tax reform, domestic job creation, consumer protection, and regulation of financial institutions. The president also described his strategy to expand America’s home-grown energy and his firm commitments to maintaining a robust military and to restraining Iran. National Priorities Project offers analysis of tension between some of the president's goals and the hurdles he is likely to face.