[Analytical Perspectives]
[Dimensions of the Budget]
[20. Outlays to the Public, Net and Gross]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]


   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 government, 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 table shows that offsetting receipts and 
collections are relatively much more important for some agencies than 
for others.
  The budget focuses on outlays that are net of receipts and collections 
from business-like activity, rather than combine these receipts and 
collections with taxes and other mandatory collections to maintain clear 
distinctions between the government's sovereign power and business-like 
transactions. The surplus or deficit is calculated by subtracting total 
outlays from total receipts. It would be exactly the same if offsetting 
collections and receipts were to be included in total receipts and not 
subtracted from gross outlays.
  In this table, negative net outlays occur when collections exceed 
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 5, ``User 
Charges and Other Collections,'' in this volume discusses offsetting 
collections and receipts in more detail.

                                     

                 Table 20-1.  TOTAL OUTLAYS, NET AND GROSS OF OFFSETTING COLLECTIONS AND RECEIPTS FROM THE PUBLIC, BY AGENCY, 2003-2005
                                                                (In millions of dollars)
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                                                        2003                                  2004                                  2005
                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   Outlays                               Outlays                               Outlays
                                                     Offsetting    Gross of                Offsetting    Gross of                Offsetting    Gross of
       Department or Other Unit                     Collections  Collections              Collections  Collections              Collections  Collections
                                            Net         and          and          Net         and          and          Net         and          and
                                          Outlays     Receipts     Receipts     Outlays     Receipts     Receipts     Outlays     Receipts     Receipts
                                                      from the     from the                 from the     from the                 from the     from the
                                                       Public       Public                   Public       Public                   Public       Public
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Legislative Branch....................       3,427           72        3,499       4,269           75        4,344       4,373           74        4,447
Judicial Branch.......................       5,123           28        5,151       5,306           34        5,340       5,903           36        5,939
Executive Branch
  Department of Agriculture...........      72,390       21,186       93,576      77,739       19,334       97,073      81,778       18,456      100,234
  Department of Commerce..............       5,676        1,982        7,658       6,194        1,526        7,720       6,147        1,785        7,932
  Department of Defense--Military.....     388,870        9,353      398,223     435,674       11,018      446,692     429,746       11,064      440,810
  Department of Education.............      57,400        2,375       59,775      62,815        1,620       64,435      64,342        1,961       66,303
  Department of Energy................      19,385        6,053       25,438      20,623        6,620       27,243      22,496        6,411       28,907
  Department of Health and Human           505,345       30,981      536,326     547,898       34,449      582,347     579,889       39,318      619,207
   Services...........................
  Department of Homeland Security.....      31,967        6,640       38,607      30,663        7,683       38,346      31,119        8,298       39,417
  Department of Housing and Urban           37,474        2,896       40,370      46,177        1,816       47,993      38,943        1,400       40,343
   Development........................
  Department of the Interior..........       9,210        3,808       13,018       9,965        4,231       14,196       9,784        5,043       14,827
  Department of Justice...............      21,539        1,487       23,026      23,488          649       24,137      23,680          732       24,412
  Department of Labor.................      69,593        1,498       71,091      59,949        2,618       62,567      56,995        3,018       60,013
  Department of State.................       9,261          877       10,138      11,301          952       12,253      11,109        1,225       12,334
  Department of Transportation........      50,807          388       51,195      58,010          417       58,427      58,959          187       59,146
  Department of the Treasury..........     366,987       14,956      381,943     368,981       16,602      385,583     395,200       17,079      412,279
  Department of Veterans Affairs......      56,887        4,729       61,616      60,318        6,352       66,670      67,314        4,731       72,045
  Corps of Engineers-Civil Works......       4,751        1,316        6,067       4,308          327        4,635       4,189          492        4,681
  Other Defense Civil Programs........      39,883           19       39,902      40,294           40       40,334      40,504           21       40,525
  Environmental Protection Agency.....       8,061          822        8,883       8,129          190        8,319       8,277          219        8,496
  Executive Office of the President...         387  ...........          387       6,612  ...........        6,612       9,880  ...........        9,880

[[Page 338]]

 
  General Services Administration.....         573          258          831         778          302        1,080         581          296          877
  International Assistance Programs...      13,462       12,377       25,839      17,365       13,403       30,768      16,597       11,852       28,449
  National Aeronautics and Space            14,552          329       14,881      14,604          101       14,705      16,386          101       16,487
   Administration.....................
  National Science Foundation.........       4,736  ...........        4,736       5,346  ...........        5,346       5,586  ...........        5,586
  Office of Personnel Management......      54,136        8,951       63,087      57,568        9,937       67,505      60,880       10,696       71,576
  Small Business Administration.......       1,558          443        2,001       3,978          325        4,303         683           83          766
  Social Security Administration......     507,733        6,265      513,998     530,495        7,614      538,109     554,271        7,952      562,223
  Export-Import Bank of the United          -3,249        3,913          664      -1,582        2,487          905         295          323          618
   States.............................
  Federal Deposit Insurance                   -733        1,655          922        -778        1,351          573        -833        1,153          320
   Corporation........................
  Postal Service......................      -5,245       67,752       62,583      -4,956       67,916       63,020        -250       68,134       67,921
  Railroad Retirement Board...........       3,056        2,489        5,545       3,781        1,893        5,674       4,692        1,099        5,791
  Other Independent Agencies..........      13,084       10,392       23,400      14,930       11,295       26,165      13,502       11,914       25,379
Allowances............................  ..........  ...........  ...........  ..........  ...........  ...........        -767  ...........         -767
Undistributed Offsetting Receipts.....    -210,449        5,029     -205,420    -211,408        4,587     -206,821    -222,407        4,855     -217,552
                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals................................   2,157,637      231,319    2,388,956   2,318,834      237,764    2,556,598   2,399,843      240,008    2,639,851
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