How Much Does the U.S. Really Spend?

This chart shows the U.S. Spending budget for various departments (Fiscal Year 2024)

Ever wondered how the U.S. spends its cash?

Many Americans frequently wonder why the U.S. sends so much money to foreign countries (ex. in the Middle East or Ukraine); much of it valuing in the millions. Yet, what is actually sent isn’t always physical monetary assistance—but rather aid that comes in the form of food, (old) weaponry, humanitarian supplies, and much more! Not only that, what is uncommonly known is that foreign aid equates to less than 1% of the overall spending by the U.S. government.

This can cause frustration when natural disasters and catastrophic events happen domestically—where families in the U.S. are left with (what seems to be) little-to-no financial assistance. And when these types of events are reported in the media, it can cause confusion/misinformation to spread as to why there’s such a disparity between domestic and foreign assistance.

Now that you know the facts about U.S. spending, share what you’ve learned with friends and family to help dispel common myths about U.S. spending and foreign aid!

Source: https://www.usaspending.gov/explorer/agency