A department-by-department guide to cutting the federal government's budget.
The Department of Transportation subsidizes and regulates highways, airports, air traffic control, urban transit, and passenger rail.
The department will spend $91 billion in 2010, or about $770 for every U.S. household. It employs 58,000 workers and operates 85 different subsidy programs.
The Department of Education provides loans and grants to college students and subsidizes elementary and secondary schools.
The department will spend $107 billion in 2010, or about $900 for every U.S. household. It employs 4,100 workers and operates more than 160 subsidy programs.
The Department of Health and Human Services administers Medicare, Medicaid, and hundreds of other subsidy and welfare programs.
The department will spend $869 billion in 2010, or about $7,400 for every U.S. household. It employs 65,000 workers and operates more than 400 programs.
Canada Cut Spending, Economy Grew
We’ve had huge federal deficit spending in recent years–$459 billion in FY2008, $1.4 trillion in FY2009, $1.5 trillion in FY2010, and now an estimated $1.4 trillion in FY2011. Despite all the spending, the economy is still sluggish, private investment remains in the tank, and the unemployment rate is stuck at near 10 percent. Read more
Unfair Subsidies for Buses
Cato essays on the Department of Transportation contain a common theme: federal subsidies for various modes of transportation have stifled privately funded and operated alternatives. One emerging bright spot is private intercity bus companies. Read more
HUD Auditor Finds Problems
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Inspector General released a stack of almost 20 audits late last week. Although the reports aren’t earth-shattering, the fact that almost every audit found problems was a striking reminder of the bureaucratic bungling that comes with government programs, particularly at HUD. Read more
