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Tea Party Fact Sheet


A usgovernmentspending.com brief by Christopher Chantrill

Government Spending since 1900

Total Spending as Percent GDP

Chart S.03t: Total Spending as Percent GDP

Would you believe it? Back in 1902 the government spent only six percent of our national income for public use. That was for everything: defense, education, the Post Office. Today in 2016 the government takes almost 36 percent of our nation’s product. And for what?

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Government Debt since 1900

Total National Debt as Percent GDP

Chart D.13t: Total National Debt as Percent GDP

Used to be that the National Debt only went up to pay for wars. Then President Reagan increased the debt to win the Cold War. Now President Obama is increasing the debt to bail out the banks — and anyone else that needs a cool trillion or so.
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Decline of the Dollar

The federal government took control of the nation’s money supply in 1913. President Roosevelt cut the value of the dollar to get out of the Great Depression. President Nixon cut it again to get re-elected in 1972. Now the dollar is worth about 3 cents of the dollar in 1913. You decide how well the feds have done.

 

Welfare Spending. Destroying the low-income family

Welfare Spending Since 1965

Chart S.33t: Welfare Spending Since 1965

The great achievement of government welfare programs is that now 40 percent of children are born out of wedlock and over 30 percent of children of high-school dropouts aren’t living with both parents.
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Education Spending. Dumbing us down

TEducation Spending by Government Level

Chart 2.52: TEducation Spending by Government Level

Back in 1842 Horace Mann promised that public schools would cut the crime rate by 90 percent. That was when nearly all Americans were able to read. Today the government reckons that only 13 percent of adult Americans are “proficient” in literacy and numeracy. But government spending on education has never been higher.
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usgovernmentspending.com. Where you go to get facts about government.

 

Prepared by Christopher Chantrill.
email: chrischantrill@gmail.com

 


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Medicare/Social Security 2026 Trustees Report Released

On June 16, 2026, the Center for Medicare Services released its annual Medicare Trustees Report, which projects Medicare spending out to 2095.  As in the past, the report shows that federal health-care programs will eat the budget.

In this report the Trustees forecast that Medicare will top out at a little above 6 percent of GDP in the 2080s.

On June 15, 2026, usgovernmentspending.com updated its chart of the Medicare Outlook here based on data in the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report.  You can download the data and also view selected Medicare Trustee forecasts going back to 2005.


In June 2026, the Social Security Administration released its annual OASDI Trustees Report, which projects Social Security spending out to 2095.  As in the past, the report shows that Social Security spending will max out at about 6 percent of GDP. UsGovernmentspending.com uses the Supplemental Single Year Tables.

On June 15, 2026, usgovernmentspending.com updated its chart of the Social Security Outlook here based on data in the 2026 OASDI Trustees Report.  You can download the data and also view selected OASDI Trustee forecasts going back to 1997.

Spend Links

us numbersus budgetcustom chartdeficit/gdpspend/gdpdebt/gdpus gdpus real gdpstate gdpbreakdownfederalstatelocal202420252026californiatexas

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usgovernmentspending.com was designed and executed by:

Christopher Chantrill.

Email here.


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presented by Christopher Chantrill

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