Government Spending: Where Public Money Goes

Budgets, appropriations, and audits determine where public money actually goes, and the numbers in a press release rarely match the numbers in the underlying document. This section breaks down federal and state spending using the budgets, appropriations bills, and inspector general reports that agencies are legally required to publish. We explain the difference between discretionary and mandatory spending, what actually counts as an earmark under current disclosure rules, and how to read a Government Accountability Office audit without a background in public finance. We also separate deficit from debt, two terms that get used interchangeably in campaign messaging even though they measure different things. If a claim about spending can be checked against a public document, that document is what we cite.