[Analytical Perspectives]
[Other Technical Presentations]
[21. Outlays to the Public, Net and Gross]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
[[Page 387]]
21. OUTLAYS TO THE PUBLIC, NET AND GROSS
Table 21-1 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, equal the net outlays plus offsetting receipts and
collections from the public. Offsetting receipts and collections
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
collections from the public resulting from the exercise of the
Government's sovereign or governmental powers to levy or impose taxes,
fees, fines, and the like. 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 or deficit is calculated by
subtracting total outlays from total receipts. It would be the same if
offsetting collections and receipts were to be included in total
receipts and not subtracted from gross outlays.
The table shows that offsetting receipts and collections are
relatively much more important for some agencies than for others. In
this table, negative net outlays occur when collections exceed payments,
for example insurance premiums. 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 5, ``User Fees and Other Collections,'' in this volume discusses
offsetting collections and receipts in more detail.
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Table 21-1. TOTAL OUTLAYS, NET AND GROSS OF OFFSETTING COLLECTIONS AND RECEIPTS FROM THE PUBLIC, BY AGENCY, 2001-2003
(In millions of dollars)
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2001 2002 2003
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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.................... 3,135 94 3,229 3,625 102 3,727 3,970 90 4,060
Judicial Branch....................... 4,519 22 4,541 4,977 24 5,001 5,497 26 5,523
Executive Branch......................
Agriculture......................... 68,599 21,669 90,268 76,565 21,151 97,716 74,443 19,880 94,323
Commerce............................ 5,137 1,415 6,552 5,495 1,681 7,176 5,670 1,843 7,513
Defense--Military................... 293,995 10,617 304,612 330,553 10,804 341,357 360,989 10,118 371,107
Education........................... 35,748 1,554 37,302 47,587 1,399 48,986 53,800 1,222 55,022
Energy.............................. 16,490 6,337 22,827 19,093 6,934 26,027 19,784 6,631 26,415
Health and Human Services........... 426,767 25,759 452,526 459,366 27,617 486,983 488,794 29,600 518,394
Housing and Urban Development....... 33,994 3,515 37,509 30,948 4,493 35,441 34,600 2,471 37,071
Interior............................ 8,249 3,759 12,008 10,290 2,926 13,216 10,822 2,816 13,638
Justice............................. 21,296 2,519 23,815 23,073 3,040 26,113 29,385 3,124 32,509
Labor............................... 39,367 2,506 41,873 58,579 2,694 61,273 56,554 2,570 59,124
State............................... 7,524 667 8,191 11,132 620 11,752 9,883 776 10,659
Transportation...................... 54,838 349 55,187 60,788 1,717 62,505 58,843 2,853 61,696
Treasury............................ 390,569 18,078 408,647 382,616 17,347 399,963 398,188 19,199 417,387
Veteran Affairs..................... 45,839 4,432 50,271 51,451 5,134 56,585 56,513 3,864 60,377
Corps of Engineers--Civil Works..... 4,834 386 5,220 4,975 395 5,370 4,347 486 4,833
Other Defense Civil Programs........ 34,167 12 34,179 35,537 13 35,550 40,933 15 40,948
Environmental Protection Agency..... 7,490 231 7,721 7,790 206 7,996 8,061 249 8,310
Executive Office of the President... 254 ........... 254 464 ........... 464 334 ........... 334
Federal Emergency Management Agency. 4,426 1,628 6,054 5,789 1,745 7,534 7,550 1,802 9,352
General Services Administration..... -1 242 241 586 272 858 -52 537 485
International Assistance Programs... 11,792 12,128 23,920 13,287 11,851 25,138 12,969 11,609 24,578
National Aeronautics and Space 14,199 73 14,272 14,484 89 14,573 14,885 75 14,960
Administration.....................
National Science Foundation......... 3,696 ........... 3,696 4,564 ........... 4,564 4,886 ........... 4,886
Office of Personnel Management...... 50,919 7,404 58,323 54,277 8,037 62,314 67,940 9,969 77,909
Small Business Administration....... -550 1,519 969 1,073 658 1,731 587 421 1,008
Social Security Administration...... 462,026 4,987 467,013 492,671 5,756 498,427 509,655 6,001 515,656
Export-Import Bank of the United -1,747 3,411 1,664 -201 1,254 1,053 322 358 680
States.............................
Federal Deposit Insurance -1,188 2,408 1,220 702 2,642 3,344 1,738 4,302 6,040
Corporation........................
Postal Service...................... 2,395 64,871 67,266 2,786 67,794 70,580 -1,371 73,727 72,356
Railroad Retirement Board........... 5,546 25 5,571 4,854 396 5,250 4,605 807 5,412
Other Independent Agencies.......... 8,946 9,715 18,661 11,826 10,266 22,092 11,964 10,488 22,452
Allowances............................ .......... ........... ........... 27,000 ........... 27,000 6,356 ........... 6,356
Undistributed Offsetting Receipts..... -199,344 8,219 -191,125 -206,282 4,336 -201,946 -235,214 3,292 -231,922
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Total............................. 1,863,926 220,551 2,084,477 2,052,320 223,393 2,275,713 2,128,230 231,221 2,359,451
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