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


 
                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 336]]

                 Table 20-1.  TOTAL OUTLAYS, NET AND GROSS OF OFFSETTING COLLECTIONS AND RECEIPTS FROM THE PUBLIC, BY AGENCY, 2000-2002
                                                                (In millions of dollars)
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                                                        2000                                  2001                                  2002
                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     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....................       2,911           85        2,996       3,086           89        3,175       3,268           93        3,361
Judicial Branch.......................       4,086           52        4,138       4,300           51        4,351       4,856           53        4,909

Executive Branch
  Agriculture.........................      75,663       19,415       95,078      69,599       20,115       89,714      63,250       18,787       82,037
  Commerce............................       7,807        1,210        9,017       5,549        1,364        6,913       5,182        1,522        6,704
  Defense-Military....................     281,223       12,144      293,367     283,915       10,953      294,868     303,449       10,707      314,156
  Education...........................      33,900        2,606       36,506      36,652        1,421       38,073      45,230        1,240       46,470
  Energy..............................      15,010        5,479       20,489      16,739        5,692       22,431      17,245        6,244       23,489
  Health and Human Services...........     382,626       23,962      406,588     430,466       25,616      456,082     468,787       29,247      498,034
  Housing and Urban Development.......      30,828        2,967       33,795      37,299        3,370       40,669      34,791        2,799       37,590
  Interior............................       8,029        2,847       10,876       8,687        3,870       12,557       9,275        3,532       12,807
  Justice.............................      19,554        2,049       21,603      20,689        2,886       23,575      22,527        3,045       25,572
  Labor...............................      31,355        2,280       33,635      38,220        2,351       40,571      42,042        2,613       44,655
  State...............................       6,850          590        7,440       9,302          568        9,870       9,700          577       10,277
  Transportation......................      45,964          488       46,452      50,611          413       51,024      54,861          473       55,334
  Treasury............................     391,246       18,112      409,358     388,549       18,517      407,066     381,539       19,284      400,823
  Veteran Affairs.....................      47,087        3,746       50,833      45,235        4,324       49,559      51,480        3,146       54,626
  Corps of Engineers..................       4,333          387        4,720       4,571          341        4,912       4,351          396        4,747
  Other Defense-Civil Programs........      32,864           17       32,881      34,400           17       34,417      35,402           17       35,419
  Environmental Protection Agency.....       7,238          263        7,501       7,495          232        7,727       7,596          246        7,842
  Executive Office of the President...         283            4          287         289            3          292         309            3          312
  Federal Emergency Management Agency.       3,142        1,499        4,641       3,145        1,577        4,722       3,216        1,655        4,871
  General Services Administration.....          28          297          325         603          287          890        -223          589          366
  International Assistance Programs...      12,093       13,228       25,321      11,351       13,247       24,598      12,058       12,835       24,893
  National Aeronautics and Space            13,442          846       14,288      13,777          839       14,616      14,248          881       15,129
   Administration.....................
  National Science Foundation.........       3,487  ...........        3,487       3,967  ...........        3,967       4,359  ...........        4,359
  Office of Personnel Management......      48,660        6,764       55,424      50,978        7,336       58,314      53,351        8,031       61,382
  Small Business Administration.......        -421        1,298          877        -971        2,683        1,712         687          458        1,145
  Social Security Administration......     441,811        5,110      446,921     463,006        5,345      468,351     488,182        5,624      493,806
  Export-Import Bank of the United            -743        3,219        2,476      -1,844        3,463        1,619         358          384          742
   States.............................
  Federal Deposit Insurance                 -2,837        3,459          622        -718        2,310        1,592        -244        2,361        2,117
   Corporation........................
  Postal Service......................       2,129       63,529       65,658       2,689       65,498       68,187       3,205       67,218       70,423
  Railroad Retirement Board...........       4,992           24        5,016       5,679           26        5,705       5,184           26        5,210
  Other Independent Agencies..........       7,028       10,012       17,040        -873        9,674        8,801      10,497       10,173       20,670

Allowances............................  ..........  ...........  ...........  ..........  ...........  ...........       2,351  ...........        2,351
Undistributed Offsetting Receipts.....    -172,842        6,082     -166,760    -190,204        8,503     -181,701    -201,805        7,844     -193,961
                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.............................   1,788,826      214,070    2,002,896   1,856,238      222,981    2,079,219   1,960,564      222,103    2,182,667
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