US federal outlays, 2014 to 2026
US federal outlays stood at $1.12T in 2026, down 15.2% on the previous period.
The latest reading is $1.32 trillion, for May 2026, against $1.21 trillion the period before. The data comes directly from the US Treasury's Fiscal Data service, the government's own ledger, and runs from April 2014.
How it is measured
Total federal outlays by month from the Treasury's Monthly Treasury Statement: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, defense, interest on the debt, and everything else the government pays out, measured as cash actually disbursed.
What the curve shows
Outlays ran $1.32 trillion in the latest month, within a window from $193.9 billion (August 2023) to $1.32 trillion (May 2026). The composition is the story: most of the total is benefits and interest that flow by formula, not annual congressional choices, which is why outlays are hard to cut quickly.
What is mandatory versus discretionary spending?
Why do outlays spike in certain months?
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