CRAG Special Edition: Data Sources

Hello (again) CRAGgy Friends,
This note is for data nerds.
This special edition of CRAG is a collection of official sites that I use to find data on federal issues (mainly spending). I've listed a few key points, but mainly this is a for your research. I plan to follow up with links to local and state sources.USASpending.gov https://www.usaspending.gov/
This site is an incredible resource designed to show the public where our money is going. Watch the help videos to learn how to burrow into the data down to your congressional district, county, or individual recipient entities.
Hints:

• Use FY2024 to get last year’s spending. (The system defaults to show the first few months of FY2025.) Financial years run from Oct 1 to Sept 30.
• I find the “Object Class” breakdown most useful for the big picture. (Under “Explore the data”.)
• “Awards data” gives spending by location. You can also search by federal agency.
• State Profiles is a quick link to awards by state.
• As an example, you can drill down to see how all the VA funds were spent in 2024.

Some key results for financial year 2024 (Oct 1 2023-September 30, 2024).

• Cutting federal employees does not save money.
  • Personnel compensation and benefits were just 8.63% of the federal budget in 2024. Of that, 67% was to the Department of Defense. So the civilian federal workforce, everyone from park interns to the president, made up only 2.8% of the federal budget. This shows up the lies that DOGE is saving money by firing federal workers.
• Most spending is for Medicare, Social Security, Defense, and Medicaid. Paul Krugman summarized the US budget as “an insurance program with an army.” Here's funding by area for 2024:

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
https://www.cbo.gov/This little-known office provides data to congress about how their actions will affect the economy.
They publish a very accessible list of budget options that shows how much money could be saved by changes to various programs, tax structures, and updating laws. 
https://www.cbo.gov/budget-options.
Some key points:

• Eliminating or limiting itemized deductions on taxes could generate $3,000B.
• A tax on greenhouse gases could make $900B
• Fixing Medicare Advantage glitches (basically insurance companies scamming the system) saves $1,000B.
• Increasing the maximum earnings that are subject to social security tax could generate $1,427B
• By contrast, tightening eligibility for SNAP saves $8B.

The Cost Estimates section projects the cost of every piece of legislation.
Congressional Research Service
https://www.congress.gov/crs-products
This service writes short non-partisan reports to inform congress on any topic they request. Topics are eclectic, recent titles include “Costa Rica”, “Extreme heat and climate change”, “Firearms: Frequently Asked Questions”, “Expanded Section 232 Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum”, “NIH Indirect Costs Policy for Research Grants: Recent Developments“, “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Organization Overview and Issues for Congress”, “Muslim Holidays: Fact Sheet.”
A search for all documents in the past month gives a notion of topics congress is thinking about and a (usually) quick summary of the issue.
Federal Reserve Economic Data: FRED
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/
Consumer price index, GDP, unemployment, and lots more official data that’s quoted in the news. This is another huge repository of data. I am a novice with this source, consult your local economist.

• You can find regional data here. For example, Federal employees in Michigan.
• FRED also includes census data. (As does WIkipedia.)

Oversight.gov
https://www.oversight.gov/
Just to show that actual fraud was reported in the pre-DOGE days. At least 17 Inspectors General have been fired, so this may not continue to exist. I have not dug into this site.
GovInfo
https://www.govinfo.gov/
Links to numerous useful information sites. Committees tab is a direct link to items being considered in congress.
Please let me know what you find! I am not an expert in these tools, let's learn together.
Thanks for all your support
Stay Well
Sarah