Discretionary Budget Authority by
Subfunction: An Overview
D. Andrew Austin
Analyst in Economic Policy
March 29, 2011
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R41726
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress
Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
Summary
President Obama’s FY2012 budget submission was released on February 14, 2011. This report
provides a graphical overview of historical trends in discretionary budget authority (BA) from
FY1976 through FY2010, estimates for FY2011 spending, and the levels consistent with the
President’s proposals for FY2012 through FY2016.
Discussions about the appropriate levels of spending for various policy objectives of the federal
government have played an important role in congressional deliberations over funding measures
for FY2011, and are expected to play a central role as Congress considers decisions affecting the
FY2012 budget. As the 112th Congress considers funding levels for FY2011, FY2012, and
beyond, past spending trends may prove useful in framing policy discussions. For example, rapid
growth in national defense and other security spending in the past decade has played an important
role in fiscal discussions. The sharp increases in federal spending on education, energy, and other
areas funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) have
been noted in recent budget debates. This report may provide a starting point for discussions
about spending trends and federal priorities, but it does not attempt to explain spending patterns
in each policy area. Other CRS products, however, can provide insights into those spending
trends in specific functional areas.
Functional categories (e.g., national defense, agriculture, etc.) provide a means to compare federal
funding for activities within broad policy areas that often cut across several federal agencies.
Subfunction categories provide a finer division of funding levels within narrower policy areas.
Budget function categories are used within the budget resolution and for other purposes, such as
possible program cuts and tax expenditures.
The report includes a series of figures showing discretionary budget authority as a percentage of
gross domestic product (GDP), which compares spending levels in each functional category with
the size of the U.S. economy. Measuring spending as a percentage of GDP in effect controls for
inflation and population increases. A flat line on such graphs indicates that spending in that
category is increasing at the same rate as overall economic growth.
Three functions, however, are omitted. These are (1) allowances, which contain items reflecting
technical budget adjustments; (2) net interest, which by its nature is not discretionary spending;
and (3) undistributed offsetting receipts, which are treated for federal budgetary purposes as
negative budget authority.
Spending in this report is measured in terms of discretionary budget authority as a percentage of
GDP. Discretionary spending is provided and controlled through appropriations acts, which fund
many of the activities commonly associated with such federal government functions as running
executive branch agencies, congressional offices and agencies, and international operations of the
government. Essentially all spending on federal wages and salaries is discretionary. Program
administration costs for entitlement programs such as Social Security, is generally funded by
discretionary spending, while mandatory spending generally funds the benefits provided through
those programs. Thus, the figures showing trends in discretionary budget authority presented
herein do not reflect the much larger expenditures on program benefits supported by mandatory
spending. For some federal agencies, such as the Departments of Veterans Affairs and
Transportation, the division of expenditures into discretionary and mandatory categories can be
complex. This report will not be updated.
Congressional Research Service
Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
Contents
Background on Functional Categories ......................................................................................... 2
Discretionary Spending in the FY2012 Budget ............................................................................ 6
Historical Spending Trends ......................................................................................................... 6
Cold War, Peace Dividend, and the Global War on Terror ...................................................... 6
The Recovery Act ................................................................................................................. 7
Negative Budget Authority.................................................................................................... 8
Figures
Figure 1. National Defense (050) Subfunctions ........................................................................... 9
Figure 2. Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services (500) Subfunctions ................ 10
Figure 3. Health Care Services (Subfunction 551) and Medicare (Subfunction 571)................... 11
Figure 4. Smaller Health Subfunctions ...................................................................................... 12
Figure 5. Income Security (600) Subfunctions ........................................................................... 13
Figure 6. Social Security (650) Subfunction .............................................................................. 14
Figure 7. Veterans Benefits and Services (700) Subfunctions ..................................................... 15
Figure 8. Energy (270) Subfunctions ......................................................................................... 16
Figure 9. Natural Resources and Environment (300) Subfunctions............................................. 17
Figure 10. Commerce and Housing Credit Subfunctions............................................................ 18
Figure 11. Transportation (400) Subfunctions ............................................................................ 19
Figure 12. Community and Regional Development (450) Subfunctions ..................................... 20
Figure 13. International Affairs (150) Subfunctions ................................................................... 21
Figure 14. General Science, Space, and Technology (250) Subfunctions .................................... 22
Figure 15. Agriculture (350) Subfunctions................................................................................. 23
Figure 16. Administration of Justice (750) Subfunctions............................................................ 24
Figure 17. General Government (800) Subfunctions .................................................................. 25
Tables
Table 1. Budget Function Categories by Superfunction................................................................ 3
Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 26
Congressional Research Service
Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
his report presents figures showing trends in discretionary budget authority as a percentage
of GDP by subfunction within each of 17 budget function categories, using data from
T President Obama’s FY2012 budget submission.1 Discretionary spending is provided and
controlled through appropriations acts, which fund many of the activities commonly associated
with such federal government functions as running executive branch agencies, congressional
offices and agencies, and international operations of the government.2 Discretionary spending in
this report is measured in terms of budget authority. Budget authority for an agency has been
compared to having funds in a checking account. Funds are available, subject to congressional
restrictions, and can be used to enter into obligations such as contracts or hiring personnel.
Outlays occur when the U.S. Treasury disburses funds to honor those obligations. Measuring
spending as a percentage of GDP in effect controls for inflation and population increases. A flat
line on such graphs indicates that spending in that category is increasing at the same rate as
overall economic growth.
Discussions about the appropriate levels of spending for various policy objectives of the federal
government have played an important role in congressional deliberations over funding measures
for FY2011, and are expected to play a central role as Congress considers decisions affecting the
FY2012 budget. As the 112th Congress considers funding levels for FY2011, FY2012, and
beyond, past spending trends may prove useful in framing policy discussions. For example, rapid
growth in national defense and other security spending in the past decade has played an important
role in fiscal discussions. The sharp increases in federal spending on education, energy, and other
areas funded by The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) have
also played a significant role in recent budget debates.
This report provides a graphical overview of historical trends in discretionary budget authority
from FY1976 through FY2010, estimates for FY2011 spending, and the levels consistent with the
President’s proposals for FY2012 through FY2016.3 Budget data for FY2011 in the FY2012
budget documents represent annualized levels reflecting funding levels in the continuing
resolution (P.L. 111-242) that provided discretionary funding until March 4, 2011.4 Subsequent
adjustments to funding levels are not reflected in data or figures presented in this report.5 Trends
in net interest are excluded as federal interest expenditures have been automatically appropriated
since 1847. Allowances, which contain items reflecting technical budget adjustments, and
undistributed offsetting receipts are also excluded.
Figures in this report are based on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Public Budget
Database accompanying the FY2012 budget release.6 Table 5.1 in the Historical Tables volume of
1 The President’s FY2012 budget was released on February 14, 2011, and is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/
omb/budget/.
2 For a broader analysis of discretionary spending, see CRS Report RL34424, Trends in Discretionary Spending, by D.
Andrew Austin and Mindy R. Levit.
3 The start of the federal fiscal year was changed from July 1 to October 1 in 1976 to accommodate changes in the
congressional budget process. The figures omit data for the Transition Quarter (July 1 to September 30, 1976).
4 OMB, FY2012 Budget, Analytic Perspectives volume, p. 131.
5 For details, see CRS Report RL30343, Continuing Resolutions: Latest Action and Brief Overview of Recent Practices,
by Sandy Streeter.
6 Data in the OMB Public Budget Database reconcile to information presented in the Historical Tables volume of the
FY2012 budget. The Public Budget Database itself is available here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/
Supplemental. For a further description and important caveats, see the Public Budget Database User Guide, available
at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/db_guide.pdf.
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Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
the FY2012 budget reports budget authority by function and subfunction, but does not provide a
breakdown by discretionary and mandatory subcomponents.7
OMB is generally regarded as the official custodian of historical federal budget data. While OMB
has attempted to make these data consistent, changes in government accounting standards and
agency reorganizations, among other changes, may raise difficulties in comparing data from
different fiscal years. In addition, OMB data may not reflect certain zero-balance transfers among
funds, which may play an important role in the funding of some federal programs.
Background on Functional Categories
Functional categories provide a means to compare federal funding for activities within broad
policy areas that often cut across several federal agencies.8 Because various federal agencies may
have closely related or overlapping responsibilities, and because some agencies have
responsibilities in diverse policy areas, budget data divided along functional categories can
provide a useful view of federal activities in support of specific national purposes.
Superfunction categories, which provide a higher level division of federal activities, are
• National defense,
• Human resources,
• Physical resources,
• Other functions,
• Net interest,
• Allowances, and
• Undistributed offsetting receipts.
Superfunction categories for national defense, net interest, allowances, and undistributed
offsetting receipts coincide with function categories.
Budget function categories, grouped by superfunctions, are shown in Table 1. Subfunction
categories provide a finer division of funding levels within narrower policy areas.
Subsequent figures follow the ordering of functions in Table 1.
7 Table 5.1 of the OMB Historical Tables is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/
fy2012/assets/hist05z1.xls.
8 For further background on functional categories, see CRS Report 98-280, Functional Categories of the Federal
Budget, by Bill Heniff Jr.
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Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
Table 1. Budget Function Categories by Superfunction
Superfunction Code
Function
(Subfunction)
National Defense
50
National defense
51
Dept. of Defense-Military
53
Atomic energy defense activities
54
Defense-related activities
Human Resources
500
Education, training, employment, and social services
501
Elementary, secondary, and vocational educ.
502
Higher education
503
Research and general education aids
504
Training and employment
505
Other labor services
506
Social
services
550
Health
551
Health care services
552
Health research and training
554
Consumer and occupational health and safety
570
Medicare
571
Medicare
600
Income security
601
Gen. retirement & disab. insurance (exc. Soc. Sec.)
602
Federal employee retirement and disability
603
Unemployment compensation
604
Housing assistance
605
Food and nutrition assistance
609
Other income security
650
Social security
651
Social
security
700
Veterans benefits and services
701
Income security for veterans
702
Veterans education, training, & rehab.
703
Hospital and medical care for veterans
704
Veterans housing
705
Other veterans benefits and services
Physical Resources
270
Energy
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Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
Superfunction Code
Function
(Subfunction)
271
Energy
supply
272
Energy
conservation
274
Emergency energy preparedness
276
Energy information, policy, and regulation
300
Natural resources and environment
301
Water
resources
302
Conservation and land mgmt.
303
Recreational resources
304
Pol ution control and abatement
306
Other natural resources
370
Commerce and housing credit
371
Mortgage credit
372
Postal
service
373
Deposit insurance
376
Other advancement of commerce
400
Transportation
401
Ground
transportation
402
Air
transportation
403
Water
transportation
407
Other
transportation
450
Community and regional development
451
Community dev.
452
Area and regional dev.
453
Disaster relief and insurance
Other Functions
150
International affairs
151
Intl. dev. and humanitarian assistance
152
Intl. security assistance
153
Conduct of foreign affairs
154
Foreign information & exchange activities
155
Intl. financial programs
250
General science, space, and technology
251
General science and basic research
252
Space flight, research & supporting activities
350
Agriculture
351
Farm income stabilization
352
Agricultural research and services
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Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
Superfunction Code
Function
(Subfunction)
750
Administration of justice
751
Federal law enforcement activities
752
Federal litigative and judicial activities
753
Federal correctional activities
754
Criminal justice assistance
800
General government
801
Legislative functions
802
Executive direction and mgmt.
803
Central fiscal operations
804
General property and records mgmt.
805
Central personnel mgmt.
806
General purpose fiscal assistance
808
Other general government
809
Deductions for offsetting receipts
Net Interest
900
Net interest
901
Interest on Treasury debt securities (gross)
902
Interest received by on-budget trust funds
903
Interest received by off-budget trust funds
908
Other interest
909
Other Investment and income
Allowances
920
Allowances
925
Future Disaster Costs
926
Offset to Medicare SGR Costs
929
Adjustment to reach FY2011 Bud Request
Undistributed Offsetting Receipts
950
Undistributed offsetting receipts
951
Employer share, employee retirement (on-budget)
952
Employer share, employee retirement (off-budget)
953
Rents & royalties on the Outer Continental Shelf
954
Sale of major assets
959
Other undistributed offsetting receipts
Source: CRS, based on OMB data.
Note: Allowances subfunctions may change from year to year.
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Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
Discretionary Spending in the FY2012 Budget
President Obama, in his FY2012 budget, proposed extending a three-year freeze in non-security
discretionary spending included in his FY2011 budget submission to five years.9 The Obama
Administration defines security spending as funding for Department of Defense-Military
(subfunction 051); the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration;
International Affairs (function 150, which includes State Department and related agencies); the
Department of Homeland Security; and the Department of Veterans Affairs.10
Discretionary spending, as noted above, is provided and controlled through appropriations acts,
which fund many of the activities commonly associated with such federal government functions
as running executive branch agencies, congressional offices and agencies, and international
operations of the government. Discretionary spending generally funds program administration
costs for entitlement programs such as Social Security, while mandatory spending generally funds
Social Security benefits. Thus, the figures showing trends in discretionary budget authority
presented below do not reflect the much larger expenditures on program benefits supported by
mandatory spending. For some departments, such as Veterans Affairs and Transportation, the
division of expenditures into discretionary and mandatory categories can be complex.
Trends in funding of health subfunctions are shown in two separate figures. Larger programs
(health care services/subfunction 551 and Medicare/function 570/subfunction 571) are shown in
Figure 3, and smaller programs (health research and training/subfunction 552 and consumer and
occupational health and safety/subfunction 554) are shown in Figure 4. Veterans’ health
programs, which fall under the veterans benefits and services function, are also shown in Figure
4 to make comparisons among those programs easier.
Historical Spending Trends
Federal spending trends in functional areas are affected by changing assessments of national
priorities, evolving international challenges, economic conditions, as well as changing social
characteristics and demographics of the U.S. population.
Some of the trends and events that have had dramatic effects on federal spending are outlined
below. Other CRS products provide background on more specific policy areas.
Cold War, Peace Dividend, and the Global War on Terror
Trends in Figure 1 reflect shifting national security challenges as well as evolving policy
decisions regarding the balance between domestic and defense priorities.
Relations between the United States and its allies on one hand, and the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics (USSR) and its allies on the other was the dominant security concern in the half
9 For details, see CRS Report R41174, Impact on the Federal Budget of Freezing Non-Security Discretionary
Spending, by Mindy R. Levit.
10 For a discussion of the definition of security spending, see CRS Report RL34424, Trends in Discretionary Spending,
by D. Andrew Austin and Mindy R. Levit.
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Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
century following the Second World War. In the early 1970s, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam
War wound down, while the United States and the USSR moved towards detente, permitting a
thaw in cold war relations between the two superpowers and a reduction in defense spending
relative to the size of the economy.11
Following intervention by the USSR in Afghanistan in 1979, military spending increased
sharply.12 Defense spending continued to increase until 1986, as concern shifted to domestic
priorities and the need to reduce large budget deficits. The collapse in 1989 of most of the
Warsaw Pact governments in central and eastern Europe and the 1990-1991 disintegration of the
Soviet Union was followed by a reduction in federal defense spending, allowing a “peace
dividend” that relaxed fiscal pressures. 13
The attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City and on the Pentagon on
September 11, 2001, were followed by sharp increases in homeland security spending. Defense
spending also increased dramatically with the start of the Afghanistan war in October 2001 and
the Iraq war in March 2003.14 While U.S. commitments in Iraq appear to be winding down, the
demands of returning troops on Department of Veterans Affairs facilities have grown
dramatically.
The Recovery Act
After the financial crisis of 2007-2008 plunged the United States in the deepest economic
recession in decades, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
(ARRA; P.L. 111-5), often known as the Recovery Act. ARRA includes support for state and local
governments in the form of increased infrastructure, Medicaid, school funding, funding for health
care IT, extended unemployment benefits, as well as tax cuts and rebates among other
provisions.15 According to initial CBO estimates, ARRA provisions were expected to total $787.2
billion in increased spending and reduced taxes over the FY2009-FY2019 period or just over 5%
of GDP in 2008, while a more recent CBO estimate put the total at $814 billion.16
The effects of Recovery Act spending can be seen in Figure 2, where pronounced increases in
education, training, employment, and social services subfunctions can be seen for FY2009.
Smaller increases can be seen in Figure 8, which shows energy subfunctions, and in Figure 9,
which shows natural resources and environment subfunctions.
11 For a history of deficit finance and American wars, see Robert D. Hormats, The Price of Liberty, (New York: Times
Books, 2007). Also see CRS Report RL31176, Financing Issues and Economic Effects of American Wars, by Marc
Labonte and Mindy R. Levit.
12 For one view of budgetary politics in the early 1980s, see David Stockman, The Triumph of Politics, (New York:
Harper & Row, 1986).
13 The Warsaw Treaty Organization, established in 1955, included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German
Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union.
14 CRS Report RL33110, The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11, by
Amy Belasco.
15 For more information on the provisions of ARRA, see CRS Report R40537, American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5): Summary and Legislative History, by Clinton T. Brass et al.
16 For initial estimates, see U.S. Congressional Budget Office, Cost Estimate For the Conference Agreement For H.R.
1, February 13, 2009, available at http://cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9989/hr1conference.pdf. For a later assessment, see
CBO, Budget and Economic Outlook: An Update, August 2010, Box 1-2, available at http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/
117xx/doc11705/08-18-Update.pdf.
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Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
Negative Budget Authority
Within the federal budget concepts, certain inflows such as offsetting receipts, offsetting
collections, some user fees, and “profits” from federal loan programs, are treated as negative
budget authority.17 The federal government uses a modified form of accrual accounting for loan
and loan guarantee programs since passage of the Federal Credit Reform Act (FCRA) as well as
for certain federal retirement programs.18 OMB calculates net subsidy rates according to FCRA
rules for loan and loan guarantee programs. In some cases, FCRA calculations yield negative net
subsidy levels, implying that the federal government appears to make a profit on those loans.
FCRA subsidy calculations, however, omit risk adjustments.19 The true economic cost of federal
credit guarantees can be substantially underestimated when risk adjustments are omitted.20 CBO
and OMB include risk adjustments in estimates of the costs associated with the TARP as
mandated by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA; P.L. 110-343).21
For example, some Federal Housing Administration mortgage programs have been estimated to
yield negative net subsidies, as shown in Figure 10.
17 See OMB, FY2012 Budget, Analytic Perspectives, ch. 12, “Budget Concepts.” In particular, pp. 122-129 cover these
topics.
18 CRS Report RL30346, Federal Credit Reform: Implementation of the Changed Budgetary Treatment of Direct Loans
and Loan Guarantees, by James M. Bickley.
19 While the FCRA calculations include estimates of default costs, they do not discount more volatile income flows, as
a private firm would.
20 U.S. Congressional Budget Office, Estimating the Value of Subsidies for Federal Loans and Loan Guarantees,
August 2004, available at http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=5751.
21 U.S. Congressional Budget Office, The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2009 to 2019, January 7, 2009,
pp. 25-26, available at http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9957/01-07-Outlook.pdf; Testimony of Elizabeth Warren,
Chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, in Congress, Senate Banking Committee, Pulling Back the TARP:
Oversight of the Financial Rescue Program, hearings, 111th Congress, 1st sess., February 5, 2009, available at
http://banking.senate.gov/public/_files/Warrentestimonyfinal2509.pdf.
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Figure 1. National Defense (050) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-9
Figure 2. Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services (500) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-10
Figure 3. Health Care Services (Subfunction 551) and Medicare (Subfunction 571)
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. Discretionary BA for Medicare funds program administration, and does not
general y fund program benefits. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-11
Figure 4. Smaller Health Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: Hospital and medical care for veterans (703) presented here for comparison, and also appears in Figure 7. FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242;
FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-12
Figure 5. Income Security (600) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: Discretionary funding for income security programs supports program administration; most income security benefits are general y funded by mandatory spending,
which is not shown here. FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-13
Figure 6. Social Security (650) Subfunction
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: Discretionary funding for Social Security supports program administration; Social Security benefits are general y funded by mandatory spending, which is not shown
here. FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-14
Figure 7. Veterans Benefits and Services (700) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats. Note that mandatory Veterans
Affairs expenditures are not reflected here.
CRS-15
Figure 8. Energy (270) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-16
Figure 9. Natural Resources and Environment (300) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-17
Figure 10. Commerce and Housing Credit Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-18
Figure 11. Transportation (400) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-19
Figure 12. Community and Regional Development (450) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-20
Figure 13. International Affairs (150) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-21
Figure 14. General Science, Space, and Technology (250) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-22
Figure 15. Agriculture (350) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-23
Figure 16. Administration of Justice (750) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-24
Figure 17. General Government (800) Subfunctions
Discretionary Budget Authority as a Percentage of GDP, FY1976-FY2016
Source: CRS, based on OMB data from the FY2012 Budget submission.
Notes: FY2011 are annualized levels from P.L. 111-242; FY2012-FY2016 levels projected. See OMB budget documents for further caveats.
CRS-25
Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview
Author Contact Information
D. Andrew Austin
Analyst in Economic Policy
aaustin@crs.loc.gov, 7-6552
Congressional Research Service
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