What does the do?

Refreshed annually

The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States (FCSC) is a subdivision of the Department of Justice responsible for adjudicating claims of US nationals against foreign governments. It was established in 1954.

In FY 2025,

$2M

was spent by the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
In FY 2025,

<0.1%

of Dept. of Justice spending was by the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission

How much does the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission spend?

The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission spent a net total of $2 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This was 0.0044% of the $44.9 billion spent by the Department of Justice, which itself was 0.6% of all federal spending. The FCSC ranked 12th among DOJ subdivisions in net spending.
Net spending is the difference between agency spending and any financial accounts generating funds from the agency’s own activities, like fees or rent. When these funds offset all spending, net spending appears negative. Some agencies tend to operate with positive net spending while others will register negative net spending sometimes or often.

The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission ranked 12th among Department of Justice divisions in net spending in 2025.

DOJ net spending by division, FY 2025

Like the overall federal budget, agency spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission’s federal spending has decreased from $3.65 million in 1980 to $2 million in 2025.

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The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission’s federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

Yearly federal net spending by FCSC, adjusted for inflation (2025 dollars), FYs 1980–2025

Since 1980, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission's spending has decreased 45.2%, while overall spending has increased 196.9%.
As a percentage of the overall federal budget, a positive number means agency net spending made up some positive share of total federal spending; a negative number means that net generated funds offset a portion of total spending. FCSC spending grew less than overall federal spending since 1980, which means that its share of the federal budget decreased. In 2025, FCSC accounted for 0.000028% of overall federal spending.
Major legislation, internal or global economic conditions, and acute events like the COVID-19 pandemic can affect spending year to year. For example, the federal budget fluctuated during the pandemic, rising from $5.3 trillion (in 2023 dollars) in 2019 to $7.7 trillion in 2020 and $7.8 trillion in 2021.

The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission’s share of federal spending in FY 2025 was lower than in FY 1980.

Net spending by FCSC as a share of federal spending, FYs 1980–2025

Most federal spending can be categorized as direct or indirect. Direct spending refers to money the federal government spends on budget items such as federal programs, employee salaries, and debt interest. Indirect spending refers to federal transfers to state and local governments.
In FY 2025, all of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net FCSC spending.

How did the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission spend its budget in 2025?

Federal government net spending isolated to FCSC, FY 2025

Who leads the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States?

The FCSC is led by a chair, who is nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. The chair reports to the Associate Attorney General.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.