[Analytical Perspectives]
[Other Technical Presentations]
[20. Outlays to Public, Net and Gross]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 379]]

 
                20.  OUTLAYS TO THE PUBLIC, NET AND GROSS

  Table 20-1 shows net and gross outlays, and the relationship between 
them, for all major agencies. Outlays are the measure of Government 
spending. The budget records outlays when the Government makes payment 
for such things as Federal employee salaries, the purchase of supplies 
and equipment, grants to state and local governments, and benefits to 
individuals. The Government's gross outlays are the sum of all these 
payments.
  The outlay totals in the budget, however whether for the Government as 
a whole or for agencies, programs, and functions (such as national 
defense) are net outlays, unless otherwise specified. Gross outlays, as 
the table shows, are the net outlays plus offsetting collections and 
receipts from the public. These constitute the income the Government 
receives from its business-like enterprises and other market activities 
with the public, such as the proceeds from selling postage stamps, the 
fees charged for admittance to recreational areas, and the proceeds from 
selling land or natural resources. The budget refers to them as 
``offsetting,'' because they are subtracted from gross outlays rather 
than added to taxes and other receipts resulting from governmental 
activities. The budget focuses on net outlay totals in order to show 
outlays and receipts that measure governmental activity rather than a 
combination of governmental and market activity. As a result, the budget 
totals represent the amount of resources allocated and distributed by 
political decision making rather than by private choice and the market 
mechanism. The surplus is calculated by subtracting total outlays from 
total receipts. It would be the same if offsetting collections and 
receipts were included in total receipts and subtracted from gross 
outlays. This would hold true if outlays exceeded receipts, resulting in 
a deficit.
  The table shows that offsetting receipts and collections are 
relatively much more important for some agencies than others. The 
outlays for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation are negative 
amounts, because its collections, mostly insurance premiums, currently 
exceed its payments. The amounts for ``Allowances'' cover certain 
transactions that are expected to increase or decrease outlays but are 
not, for various reasons, attributed to any specific agency. The amounts 
labeled ``undistributed offsetting receipts'' are deducted from the 
Government-wide outlay totals but not from any specific agency. Chapter 
4, ``User Fees and Other Collections,'' in this volume discusses 
offsetting collections and receipts in more detail.

[[Page 380]]



                 Table 20-1.  TOTAL OUTLAYS, NET AND GROSS OF OFFSETTING COLLECTIONS AND RECEIPTS FROM THE PUBLIC, BY AGENCY, 1999-2001
                                                                (In millions of dollars)
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                                                        1999                                  2000                                  2001
                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Offsetting                            Offsetting                            Offsetting
                                                    Collections    Outlays                Collections    Outlays                Collections    Outlays
      (Department or other unit)            Net         and        Gross of       Net         and        Gross of       Net         and        Gross of
                                          Outlays     Receipts   Collections    Outlays     Receipts   Collections    Outlays     Receipts   Collections
                                                      from the     from the                 from the     from the                 from the     from the
                                                       Public       Public                   Public       Public                   Public       Public
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Legislative Branch....................
Legislative Branch....................       2,609          176        2,785       3,197          197        3,394       3,022          203        3,225
Judicial Branch.......................       3,790           55        3,845       4,378           53        4,431       4,555           54        4,609
Agriculture...........................      62,834       17,944       80,778      71,096       21,281       92,377      64,940       22,028       86,968
Commerce..............................       5,036        1,074        6,110       8,134        1,145        9,279       5,407        1,322        6,729
Defense Military......................     261,380        9,199      270,579     277,476        9,174      286,650     277,484        8,817      286,301
Education.............................      32,436        2,829       35,265      36,444        1,138       37,582      38,155        2,242       40,397
Energy................................      16,048        4,959       21,007      15,269        5,038       20,307      16,365        5,120       21,485
Health and Human Services.............     359,701       23,511      383,212     387,339       23,689      411,028     421,395       25,490      446,885
Housing and Urban Development.........      32,734        6,696       39,430      30,076        9,401       39,477      32,277        2,875       35,152
Interior..............................       7,815        2,920       10,735       8,397        2,818       11,215       8,496        2,655       11,151
Justice...............................      18,317        1,826       20,143      18,536        1,997       20,533      22,368        2,414       24,782
Labor.................................      32,461        1,963       34,424      33,986        2,268       36,254      38,604        2,553       41,157
State.................................       6,456          403        6,859       8,402          542        8,944       8,831          487        9,318
Transportation........................      41,829          400       42,229      45,925          442       46,367      49,042          713       49,755
Treasury..............................     386,698       14,688      401,386     388,412       16,475      404,887     388,374       17,746      406,120
Veteran Affairs.......................      43,168        3,619       46,787      46,723        3,565       50,288      46,442        3,109       49,551
Corps of Engineers....................       4,191          426        4,617       4,498          334        4,832       2,901        1,311        4,212
Other Department of Defense Civil.....      32,014           11       32,025      33,008           77       33,085      33,970           20       33,990
Environmental Protection Agency.......       6,750          356        7,106       7,040          307        7,347       7,453          300        7,753
Executive Office of the President.....         417            1          418         267            3          270         288            3          291
Federal Emergency Management Agency...       4,039        1,435        5,474       3,198        1,560        4,758       2,222        1,771        3,993
General Services Administration.......         -46          288          242         525          247          772         475          278          753
International Assistance Programs.....      10,059       13,631       23,690      10,498       12,310       22,808      12,207       12,182       24,389
National Aeronautics and Space              13,664          848       14,512      13,447          956       14,403      13,676          875       14,551
 Administration.......................
National Science Foundation...........       3,283            0        3,283       3,596            0        3,596       3,972            0        3,972
Office of Personnel Management........      47,515        6,161       53,676      49,352        6,680       56,032      51,829        7,198       59,027
Small Business Administration.........          57        1,254        1,311         107        1,025        1,132         675          529        1,204
Social Security Administration........     419,787        4,814      424,601     439,465        5,006      444,471     455,595        5,194      460,789
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.      -5,026        4,684         -342      -1,047        2,645        1,598      -1,246        1,295           49
Postal Service........................       1,050       61,957       63,007       1,598       63,998       65,596         540       67,421       67,961
Other Independent Agencies............      11,051       14,328       25,379      13,450       11,993       25,443      14,920        9,786       24,706
Allowances............................           0            0            0         843            0          843        -993        8,792        7,799
Undistributed Offsetting Receipts.....    -159,077        4,852     -154,225    -174,073        5,626     -168,447    -189,208  ...........     -189,208
                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Outlays.........................   1,703,040      207,308    1,910,348   1,789,562      211,990    2,001,552   1,835,033      214,783    2,049,816
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