Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: FY2008-FY2018 Update

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) regularly receives requests about federal benefits and services targeted to low-income populations. This report is the latest update in a series of CRS reports that attempt to identify and provide information about federal spending targeted to this population. The report series does not discuss social insurance programs such as Social Security, Medicare, or Unemployment Insurance, but includes only programs with an explicit focus on low-income people or communities. Tax provisions, other than the refundable portion of two tax credits, are excluded. Past reports in this series include the following:

CRS Report R44574, Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Overview of Spending Trends, FY2008-FY2015, and

CRS Report R43863, Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Programs and Spending, FY2008-FY2013.

This current report is intended to provide a brief update of federal spending during FY2008-FY2018 for programs or activities identified in past reports. This report has not been updated to include information on new programs or activities; it simply provides information on the programs or activities that had previously been identified. Over the course of the 11-year period examined, federal spending on people with low income increased by 64% in nominal terms, peaking at nearly $918 billion in FY2018. Increases in recent years were largely driven by spending on health care.

Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for People with Low Income, FY2008-FY2018

/

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from information contained in federal budget documents for President’s budget submissions, FY2010 through FY2020.

Notes: ARRA = American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5).

Key findings include the following:

No single label best describes all programs with a low-income focus, and no single trait characterizes those who benefit. Programs are highly diverse in their purpose, design, and target population. Readers should use caution in making generalizations about the programs described in this report.

Total federal spending on low-income programs in nominal terms rose sharply between FY2008 and FY2009 as the Great Recession took hold. Spending stabilized in FY2011, but it has increased at a fairly steady pace since FY2012 largely due to increases in health care spending.

The peak spending year in this window was FY2018, when federal spending on low-income populations totaled $918 billion. This represents a nominal increase of 64% from FY2008.

Health care is the single largest category of low-income spending and tends to drive overall trends. In each year, spending on health care has accounted for roughly half of all spending; since FY2015, it has accounted for just over half of all spending. The single largest program within the health category is Medicaid.

After health care, cash aid and food assistance are the next largest categories, with food assistance seeing a 59% nominal increase over the 11-year period. Other categories (in descending size based on FY2018 spending) are housing and development, education, social services, employment and training, and energy assistance.

Most low-income spending is classified in budgetary terms as mandatory (or direct), which means the amount spent is a function of eligibility and payment rules established in authorizing laws. The amount spent for the remaining discretionary programs is controlled through the annual appropriations process. In some cases, programs receive both mandatory and discretionary funding. In FY2018, 81% of low-income spending was mandatory-only, 15% was discretionary-only, and 4% was spent on programs receiving both mandatory and discretionary funding.

Four programs accounted for 68% of low-income spending in FY2018 and ten programs made up 82%. Medicaid alone represented 48% of the total. In addition to Medicaid, the top four include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the refundable portion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: FY2008-FY2018 Update

February 5, 2020 (R46214)
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Contents

Summary

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) regularly receives requests about federal benefits and services targeted to low-income populations. This report is the latest update in a series of CRS reports that attempt to identify and provide information about federal spending targeted to this population. The report series does not discuss social insurance programs such as Social Security, Medicare, or Unemployment Insurance, but includes only programs with an explicit focus on low-income people or communities. Tax provisions, other than the refundable portion of two tax credits, are excluded. Past reports in this series include the following:

This current report is intended to provide a brief update of federal spending during FY2008-FY2018 for programs or activities identified in past reports. This report has not been updated to include information on new programs or activities; it simply provides information on the programs or activities that had previously been identified. Over the course of the 11-year period examined, federal spending on people with low income increased by 64% in nominal terms, peaking at nearly $918 billion in FY2018. Increases in recent years were largely driven by spending on health care.

Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for People with Low Income, FY2008-FY2018

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from information contained in federal budget documents for President's budget submissions, FY2010 through FY2020.

Notes: ARRA = American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5).

Key findings include the following:

  • No single label best describes all programs with a low-income focus, and no single trait characterizes those who benefit. Programs are highly diverse in their purpose, design, and target population. Readers should use caution in making generalizations about the programs described in this report.
  • Total federal spending on low-income programs in nominal terms rose sharply between FY2008 and FY2009 as the Great Recession took hold. Spending stabilized in FY2011, but it has increased at a fairly steady pace since FY2012 largely due to increases in health care spending.
  • The peak spending year in this window was FY2018, when federal spending on low-income populations totaled $918 billion. This represents a nominal increase of 64% from FY2008.
  • Health care is the single largest category of low-income spending and tends to drive overall trends. In each year, spending on health care has accounted for roughly half of all spending; since FY2015, it has accounted for just over half of all spending. The single largest program within the health category is Medicaid.
  • After health care, cash aid and food assistance are the next largest categories, with food assistance seeing a 59% nominal increase over the 11-year period. Other categories (in descending size based on FY2018 spending) are housing and development, education, social services, employment and training, and energy assistance.
  • Most low-income spending is classified in budgetary terms as mandatory (or direct), which means the amount spent is a function of eligibility and payment rules established in authorizing laws. The amount spent for the remaining discretionary programs is controlled through the annual appropriations process. In some cases, programs receive both mandatory and discretionary funding. In FY2018, 81% of low-income spending was mandatory-only, 15% was discretionary-only, and 4% was spent on programs receiving both mandatory and discretionary funding.
  • Four programs accounted for 68% of low-income spending in FY2018 and ten programs made up 82%. Medicaid alone represented 48% of the total. In addition to Medicaid, the top four include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the refundable portion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Introduction

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) regularly receives requests about spending on programs and activities that target low-income individuals and families for benefits and services. CRS has produced a series of reports that identify these programs and provides their spending amounts and recent spending trends.1 This current report provides an interim update of the federal spending for programs and activities identified in CRS Report R44574, Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Overview of Spending Trends, FY2008-FY2015, extending the spending analysis through FY2018, the most recent year for which federal spending data were available as of January 2020.

In FY2018, the federal government spent $917.8 billion on benefits and services for people with low income. This was an increase of 2.2% compared to FY2017, which was less than the rate of economic growth (5.4%) and nearly equal to the rate of inflation (2.3%) during FY2018.2

Concepts Used in this Report, and Caveats

In general, programs were included in this report series if they (1) have provisions that base an individual's eligibility or priority for service on a measure (or proxy) of low income; (2) target resources in some way (e.g., through allocation formulas, variable matching rates) using a measure (or proxy) of low income; or (3) prioritize services to low-income segments of a larger target population. The programs in this report also had spending of $100 million or more. Programs that did not reach $100 million in at least one year covered by this analysis are not included in the aggregate spending numbers presented in this report. In cases where programs in this report reached the $100 million threshold for some but not all of the fiscal years between FY2008 and FY2018, spending in the years that were below the threshold are represented as $0 in the report tables and are not included in the spending aggregates.

Additionally, please consider the following:

  • Programs included here are not social insurance. That term refers to programs intended to insure Americans against the loss of wages and work-related benefits due to retirement, disability, or temporary unemployment (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance). Social insurance benefits are generally entitlements earned through work.
  • Programs in this report cannot be collectively characterized as welfare. Welfare is typically thought of as government assistance to help poor people pay for necessities. As defined in this report, low-income programs are much broader, and include in-kind benefits and activities such as education, social services, and community development, among others.
  • This report is not limited to needs-tested programs. Needs-tested programs are those that require an individual or family to meet a test of low income and/or financial resources to qualify for benefits. This report includes programs without such restrictions.
  • Low income does not necessarily mean poor, as the federal government officially defines that term. Programs in this report use a variety of criteria to determine eligibility, including multiples of the official federal poverty guidelines and other measures altogether. At the same time, to be included in this report, the program must have a low-income focus. For example, the refundable tax credit and cost-sharing subsidies that help pay health insurance premiums under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, P.L. 111-148 as amended) are not included in this report, as their benefits begin at 100% of the federal poverty level.
  • While this report discusses trends in federal spending, a significant amount of non-federal spending (primarily state and local) is also associated with some of the programs included here. Thus, amounts discussed in this report do not reflect all public spending for low-income programs.
  • New obligations incurred in the indicated fiscal year were chosen as the measure of spending for this report, although for many programs readers may be more accustomed to seeing appropriations (budget authority) or outlays. These spending concepts are related. Congress and the President enact budget authority through appropriations measures or other authorizing laws. Budget authority in turn allows federal agencies to incur obligations, through actions such as entering into contracts, employing personnel, and submitting purchase orders. Outlays represent the actual payment of these obligations. Obligations are used in this report because they are the most consistent measure available at the necessary level of detail for the majority of programs.
  • Unless noted otherwise, all spending amounts cited in this report are nominal dollars and not adjusted for inflation. Most of the information is based on program-level obligations found in the Budget of the United States. Some exceptions, where obligations either were not available or not appropriate for a small number of programs, are noted in CRS Report R44574, Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Overview of Spending Trends, FY2008-FY2015, by Karen Spar and Gene Falk. (See also the notes accompanying Table 2 of this report for information on cases in which the source or calculation for spending on a particular program or activity has changed since the FY2015 report.)

While the programs in this report share the common feature of an explicit low-income focus, the individual programs are highly diverse in their purpose, design, and target population. They were established at different times, in response to different policy challenges. In terms of target population, the largest portion of low-income assistance goes to families with children with working parents and the disabled (see CRS In Focus IF10355, Need-Tested Benefit Receipt by Families and Individuals).

Trends in Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for People with Low Income

Figure 1 shows the trend in federal spending in nominal terms on benefits and services for people with low income for FY2008 through FY2018. The early portion, FY2008 through FY2011, represents a period of time where spending increased because of automatic or legislated responses to the recession of 2007 through 2009. The largest low-income assistance programs are entitlements, and their spending increased automatically as more people became eligible for their benefits as incomes fell due to the recession. Additionally, Congress and the President responded to the recession with time-limited expansions or funding increases in some of these programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, P.L. 111-5). Total spending on these programs increased by 36% over this period.

Federal spending on benefits and services for low-income people stabilized in FY2011 and FY2012 as ARRA expired and other spending increases associated with the recession abated. However, from FY2012 through FY2018, spending for these programs increased at a steady pace, stemming from increases in spending on health care for low-income people.

Figure 1. Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for People with Low Income, FY2008-FY2018

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from information contained in federal budget documents for President's budget submissions, FY2010 through FY2020.

Notes: ARRA = American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5).

Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for Low-Income People by Category

CRS's series of reports on benefits and services for low-income people divides spending for the programs into eight categories:

  • health care,
  • cash aid,
  • food aid,
  • education,
  • housing and development,
  • social services,
  • employment and training, and
  • energy assistance.

Table 1 shows federal spending for the programs by category for FY2008 through FY2018. The categories are sorted by the amount of their spending in FY2018, with the largest (health care) first and the smallest (energy aid) last. Health care represents more than half of total spending for the programs in FY2018 and more than three times the amount of the next largest category, cash aid. The two smallest categories are employment and training programs (exclusive of education spending) and energy assistance.

Table 1. Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for People with Low Income, by Category, FY2008-FY2018

Billions of dollars

 

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Health Care

$259.2

$318.8

$347.0

$352.2

$328.1

$344.0

$389.2

$444.2

$467.6

$495.7

$518.2

Cash Aid

116.4

129.6

145.3

149.1

142.4

150.3

155.3

154.6

158.8

152.6

145.6

Food Aid

58.9

77.6

93.9

101.4

104.8

107.1

102.0

103.1

100.7

97.8

93.7

Housing and Development

39.7

60.0

51.8

46.2

44.0

41.4

45.1

44.6

46.3

45.8

53.5

Education

41.9

58.2

58.6

66.5

58.6

55.1

53.7

52.2

53.7

53.5

52.2

Social Services

36.0

43.9

39.7

37.0

36.7

36.7

38.1

38.4

39.7

40.7

43.2

Employment and Training

6.2

8.6

7.7

6.5

6.1

6.0

6.5

7.0

6.8

7.9

7.4

Energy Assistance

2.9

10.3

5.6

4.9

3.6

3.4

3.6

3.7

3.6

3.7

3.9

Total

561.2

707.2

749.7

763.7

724.3

744.1

793.6

847.8

877.3

897.7

917.8

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from information contained in federal budget documents for President's budget submissions, FY2010 through FY2020. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Figure 2 breaks out total federal spending on benefits and services for people with low income into two groups: health programs and all other programs. As shown in the figure, the increase in nominal spending in the earlier portion of the period (affected by recession-related spending) stemmed from increases in both health and other program spending. However, since FY2012 the increase is attributable to higher spending on health care. Spending on all other programs (collectively) has decreased each year since FY2016. Much of the increase in health spending is from the Medicaid program, and since FY2014 reflects increases in spending due to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's (ACA, P.L. 111-148 as amended)3 Medicaid expansion.4

Figure 2. Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for People with Low Income, Health and Non-health, FY2008-FY2018

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from information contained in federal budget documents for President's budget submissions, FY2010 through FY2020.

Mandatory and Discretionary Spending

The largest programs providing benefits and services to low-income people are mandatory spending programs. These are programs where spending is controlled by the terms of their authorizing laws—such as entitlements either to individuals or states—rather than the annual appropriation process. Discretionary spending is generally determined through annual appropriations.

Figure 3 shows federal spending in FY2018 on benefits and services for people with low income by category and budget classification (mandatory, discretionary, or some programs have spending classified as both). The largest categories (health, cash aid, and food aid) are dominated by mandatory spending. Housing is almost entirely discretionary spending, determined through annual appropriations. Education is split between discretionary spending and the Pell Grant program, which has both mandatory and discretionary components. Social services and employment and training have a mix of mandatory spending (much of it coming from the broad-based Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant) and discretionary funding. Energy assistance is entirely discretionary.

Of the $917.8 billion spent by the federal government on benefits and services for people with low income in FY2018, $741.2 billion (81%) was spent on programs or activities receiving only mandatory funding and $139.7 billion (15%) was spent on programs or activities receiving only discretionary funding. The remaining $37.0 billion of spending occurred in programs receiving both mandatory and discretionary funding.5 Health care is a major source of mandatory spending: 94% of all health care spending discussed in this report was mandatory spending in FY2018.

Figure 3. Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for People with Low Income, by Budget Classification, FY2018

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from information contained in federal budget documents for the President's budget submission, FY2020.

Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for Low-Income People by Program

Table 2 shows spending for federal benefits and services to low-income persons by program for FY2008 to FY2018. The programs were classified into the eight categories of spending noted above, and are ranked within each category by FY2018 spending. Note that in many categories, spending is dominated by a few large programs. For example, in FY2018, Medicaid accounted for 85% of health care spending, Supplemental Security Income and two refundable tax credits for low-income workers (the Earned Income Tax Credit and the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit) accounted for 93% of all cash aid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) accounted for 67% of all food aid, and Pell Grants plus aid to school districts with large shares of disadvantaged children accounted for 81% of all education aid.

Most programs had spending that was classified in a single category. The exceptions are the broad-purpose TANF block grant and SNAP. TANF is best known as a program that provides cash assistance to needy families with children. TANF accounted for $5.2 billion in federal spending on cash aid in FY2018, making it the fourth-largest cash program and representative of 4% of cash spending. In contrast, TANF spending on social services made it the second-largest social services program (behind only Head Start), and its employment and training expenditures made it the largest employment and training program. SNAP spending was divided into its food assistance and its employment and training components. SNAP was the largest food assistance program ($63 billion in food assistance in FY2018), but it also contributed $441 million in employment and training expenditures in FY2018.

Table 2. Federal Spending on Benefits and Services for Low-Income People, by Program, FY2008-FY2018

(Dollars in millions)

Program

FY08

FY09

FY10

FY11

FY12

FY13

FY14

FY15

FY16

FY17

FY18

Health Care

Medicaid

$214,015

$265,058

$290,461

$295,836

$270,914

$286,920

$329,019

$378,896

$398,217

$422,045

$441,392

Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit—Low-Income Subsidy

18,100

19,600

21,100

22,200

22,500

23,200

24,300

25,600

26,400

27,300

28,600

State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

6,360

9,534

10,717

8,740

9,362

9,357

10,111

11,353

14,069

15,966

17,489

Medical Care for Veterans without Service-Connected Disabilitya

10,246

11,201

11,780

12,000

11,970

11,737

11,921

13,087

13,130

15,715

15,644

Indian Health Service

4,347

5,416

5,668

5,544

5,729

5,661

5,910

6,074

5,207

5,398

5,711

Consolidated Health Centers

2,021

3,665

3,049

3,295

3,384

2,882

3,587

4,701

5,040

5,188

5,562

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program

2,141

2,227

2,286

2,310

2,367

2,220

2,290

2,318

2,266

2,339

2,355

Maternal and Child Health Block Grant

666

662

661

656

639

605

632

637

637

640

650

Family Planning

300

307

316

298

294

278

286

286

286

286

286

Transitional Cash and Medical Services for Refugees

296

282

353

353

323

401

391

383

532

490

245

Breast/Cervical Cancer Early Detection

201

206

210

206

213

197

207

207

209

210

218

State Grants and Demonstrations

556

625

418

758

416

534

524

680

1,559

111

0

Total Health Care

259,249

318,783

347,019

352,196

328,111

343,992

389,178

444,222

467,553

495,688

518,152

Cash Aid

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) (refundable component)

40,600

42,418

54,712

55,652

54,890

57,513

60,087

60,084

60,580

59,749

58,640

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

48,926

52,446

54,463

59,854

53,773

59,756

62,159

62,055

66,751

62,544

57,934

Additional Child Tax Credit (refundable portion)

16,690

24,284

22,659

22,691

22,106

21,608

21,490

20,592

20,188

19,408

18,597

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

6,364

6,341

9,118

6,594

6,737

6,263

6,340

6,404

5,856

5,562

5,247

Pensions for Needy Veterans

3,777

4,134

4,345

4,294

4,892

5,195

5,258

5,497

5,468

5,386

5,230

Total Cash Aid

116,357

129,623

145,297

149,085

142,398

150,335

155,334

154,632

158,843

152,649

145,648

Food Aid

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

37,179

53,396

68,192

74,943

77,828

79,365

73,721

73,615

70,406

67,545

63,111

National School Lunch Program (free/reduced price components)

7,863

8,498

9,462

9,831

9,984

10,549

10,801

11,515

11,777

11,830

12,270

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC)

6,400

7,028

7,245

7,300

7,168

6,945

7,019

6,774

6,864

6,665

6,039

School Breakfast Program (free/reduced price components)

2,307

2,513

2,811

2,987

3,256

3,514

3,618

3,956

4,135

4,278

4,531

Child and Adult Care Food Program (lower-income components)

2,029

2,217

2,358

2,499

2,616

2,799

2,920

3,154

3,259

3,450

3,550

Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico

1,623

2,000

2,000

2,001

2,000

2,001

1,903

1,951

1,959

1,949

1,919

Nutrition Program for the Elderly

756

905

817

820

814

765

807

812

834

833

895

Summer Food Service Program

312

356

374

377

400

437

464

517

540

506

512

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

240

425

359

298

309

312

318

370

374

245

350

Commodity Supplemental Food Program

141

165

183

196

189

187

180

198

223

206

246

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

0

0

0

115

157

165

166

139

167

184

175

Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)

0

119

114

0

103

100

119

143

145

145

145

Total Food Aid

58,850

77,622

93,915

101,367

104,824

107,139

102,036

103,144

100,683

97,836

93,743

Housing

Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers

15,552

16,289

18,071

18,510

18,316

17,897

19,181

19,333

19,634

20,313

21,698

Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance

7,004

9,390

8,991

9,444

9,311

8,818

9,870

9,810

10,680

11,108

11,623

Public Housing

6,894

10,843

7,360

6,999

5,847

5,954

6,383

6,421

5,954

5,930

7,680

Community Development Block Grants

3,645

4,733

3,956

3,341

3,245

2,971

3,213

2,664

3,193

1,990

3,989

Homeless Assistance Grants

1,538

2,861

1,813

1,888

2,079

2,086

1,957

2,109

2,137

2,218

2,487

Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)

1,647

1,911

1,857

1,485

1,208

919

1,023

848

961

572

1,486

Rural Rental Assistance Program

479

902

979

954

905

837

1,110

1,088

1,390

1,365

1,345

Water and Waste Disposal for Rural Communities

685

1,370

1,443

648

583

524

685

604

622

672

1,084

Indian Housing Block Grants

556

1,149

762

663

691

627

665

653

670

652

684

Supportive Housing for the Elderly

778

800

580

509

1,056

389

362

456

437

535

626

Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)

310

318

314

352

352

302

349

290

342

163

494

Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities

256

284

216

149

243

102

209

207

189

149

155

Public Works and Economic Development

170

285

149

115

129

0

133

101

111

121

138

Grants to States for Low-Income Housing in Lieu of Low-Income Housing Credit Allocations

0

2,465

3,083

160

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Single-Family Rural Housing Loans

178

279

277

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Neighborhood Stabilization Program-1 (NSP-1)

0

3,920

1,980

969

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Tax Credit Assistance Program

0

2,250

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total Housing

39,692

60,049

51,831

46,186

43,965

41,426

45,140

44,584

46,320

45,788

53,489

Education

Federal Pell Grants

18,000

26,019

32,905

41,458

34,308

31,887

29,808

28,153

29,106

28,565

26,514

Education for the Disadvantaged—Grants to Local Educational Agencies (Title I-A)

13,352

21,495

14,526

14,472

14,490

13,757

14,383

14,410

14,893

15,474

15,758

Improving Teacher Quality State Grants

2,946

2,687

2,955

2,460

2,450

2,334

2,341

2,370

2,325

2,117

2,050

21st Century Community Learning Centers

1,082

1,127

1,166

1,157

1,150

1,091

1,146

1,149

1,163

1,191

1,210

Federal Work-Study

989

1,156

995

986

986

934

978

990

990

990

1,130

Federal TRIO Programs

885

905

910

883

840

796

838

840

900

950

1,010

Indian Education

684

699

784

753

803

766

747

808

835

856

914

Higher Education—Institutional Aid and Developing Institutions

755

801

764

833

816

780

792

777

818

825

906

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

759

760

759

740

738

698

736

733

733

733

840

Adult Basic Education Grants to States

569

585

641

607

606

576

575

593

597

589

634

Title I Migrant Education Program

380

395

395

394

393

373

375

375

375

375

375

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR-UP)

303

313

323

303

302

286

302

302

323

340

350

Preschool Development Grants

0

0

0

497

133

370

250

250

250

250

248

Rural Education Achievement Program

172

174

175

175

179

170

170

170

176

177

181

Indian Education Grants to Local Educational Agencies

0

0

104

104

106

100

100

100

100

100

105

Mathematics and Science Partnerships

182

176

180

179

148

141

150

152

153

0

0

Reading First and Early Reading First

560

129

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

College Access Challenge Grants

0

0

145

150

128

0

0

0

0

0

0

Academic Competitiveness and Smart Grant Program

297

690

918

350

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Education for Homeless Children and Youth

0

135

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total Education

41,915

58,246

58,645

66,501

58,576

55,059

53,691

52,172

53,737

53,532

52,225

Social Services

Head Start

6,877

9,077

8,757

7,559

7,968

7,573

8,105

8,717

9,119

9,554

9,556

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

9,411

10,594

9,837

8,828

8,913

9,491

9,295

8,742

8,939

8,641

8,896

Child Care and Development Fund

4,979

7,034

5,083

5,152

5,218

5,140

5,288

5,379

5,712

5,798

8,178

Foster Care

4,525

4,705

4,603

4,456

4,180

4,133

4,746

4,669

4,815

5,363

5,054

Child Support Enforcement

4,585

4,719

5,044

4,671

4,179

4,278

4,324

4,347

4,379

4,454

4,429

Adoption Assistance

2,038

2,324

2,438

2,362

2,296

2,278

2,450

2,473

2,587

2,706

2,785

Social Services Block Grant

1,700

2,300

1,700

1,700

1,700

1,613

1,577

1,576

1,584

1,583

1,588

Community Services Block Grant

654

1,692

708

678

677

635

667

674

715

707

715

Legal Services Corporation

351

392

422

406

351

343

368

378

387

387

427

Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program

0

0

100

250

344

378

394

430

391

408

411

Older Americans Act Grants for Supportive Services and Senior Centers

351

361

368

369

367

348

348

348

348

349

384

Older Americans Act National Family Caregiver Support Program

153

154

154

154

154

146

145

146

151

150

180

Guardianship

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

101

120

145

155

Indian Human Services

118

115

118

115

110

100

135

150

145

147

150

Chafee Foster Care Independence Program

140

140

140

140

140

140

140

140

140

140

140

Emergency Food and Shelter Programb

153

300

200

120

120

114

120

120

120

120

120

Total Social Services

36,035

43,907

39,672

36,961

36,717

36,710

38,102

38,390

39,652

40,652

43,168

Employment and Training

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

1,694

1,826

2,682

1,845

1,683

1,579

1,696

2,255

2,510

2,914

2,976

Job Corps

1,558

1,804

1,713

1,777

1,735

1,718

1,984

1,751

1,552

1,773

1,492

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth Activities

984

2,218

994

946

902

856

898

906

875

1,033

946

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Adult Activities

827

1,357

862

766

773

731

766

775

813

813

843

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

351

367

344

354

334

368

400

630

427

437

441

Community Service Employment for Older Americans

504

708

820

454

448

429

440

384

321

570

404

Social Services and Targeted Assistance for Refugeesc

203

203

203

202

152

198

198

198

223

203

202

Foster Grandparents

109

109

111

111

111

105

108

108

108

108

108

Total Employment and Training

6,230

8,592

7,729

6,455

6,138

5,984

6,490

7,007

6,829

7,851

7,412

Energy Assistance

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

2,590

5,100

5,100

4,701

3,472

3,255

3,401

3,395

3,372

3,394

3,641

Weatherization Assistance Program

291

5,240

517

234

126

182

234

255

270

287

301

Total Energy Assistance

2,881

10,340

5,617

4,935

3,598

3,437

3,635

3,650

3,642

3,681

3,942

Totals

561,209

707,162

749,725

763,686

724,327

744,082

793,606

847,801

877,259

897,677

917,779

Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from information contained in federal budget documents for President's budget submissions, FY2010 through FY2020. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Note: Sources and methods used for numbers in this report are consistent with past reports in this series, with limited exceptions noted below. Recall that this report displays obligations that were less than $100 million in a given fiscal year as $0, and does not include obligations from those years in aggregate spending totals.

a. Between FY2008 and FY2016, the budget figures for the Medical Care for Veterans without Service-Connected Disability program were from expenditure data provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to CRS. For FY2017 and FY2018, the budget figures are obligations listed in publically available agency budget documents.

b. Previous reports in this series used obligations data for the Emergency Food and Shelter budgetary figures. Because obligations for the program were not available in source documents for FY2017 or FY2018, this report now uses budget authority for the FY2008-FY2018 figures.

c. Prior to FY2018, the figure for Social Services and Targeted Assistance for Refugees was a combination of Refugee Social Services and Refugee Targeted Assistance Grants. However, in FY2018 the enacted appropriation combined these activities with the Preventative Health program into a single budget line. Thus, the FY2018 figure includes this additional activity.

Author Contact Information

Karen E. Lynch, Specialist in Social Policy ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])
Gene Falk, Specialist in Social Policy ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])
Jessica Tollestrup, Specialist in Social Policy ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])
Conor F. Boyle, Analyst in Social Policy ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])
Patrick A. Landers, Analyst in Social Policy ([email address scrubbed], [phone number scrubbed])

Acknowledgments

Karen Spar, former CRS Specialist in Domestic Social Policy and Division Research Coordinator, produced earlier reports in this series and was instrumental in developing the methods underlying the current report. Amber Wilhelm, CRS Visual Information Specialist, produced the graphics in this report.

Footnotes

1.

Recent reports in the series include CRS Report R43863, Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Programs and Spending, FY2008-FY2013; and CRS Report R44574, Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Overview of Spending Trends, FY2008-FY2015.

2.

The rate of inflation used here is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) price index. The rate of economic growth is the growth in the GDP in nominal terms, because the spending increase was not adjusted for price inflation. Both of these figures are drawn from the January 2020 Historical Data and Economic Projections published by the Congressional Budget Office, and reflect changes over the period of a federal fiscal year rather than a calendar year.

3.

See CRS In Focus IF10399, Overview of the ACA Medicaid Expansion.

4.

The major factors other than the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's (ACA, P.L. 111-148 as amended) Medicaid expansion affecting health expenditures and Medicaid spending are population growth, changes in the use of health care services, and changes in the prices of health care services. See Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2017 Actuarial Report on the Financial Outlook for Medicaid, 2017, pp. 9-10.

5.

Totals may not sum due to rounding. Due to data limitations, CRS cannot separate obligations for these programs into mandatory and discretionary components.