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Published July 18, 2025 by the USAFacts team
What is Medicaid and how many Americans use it? | Episode 2 of Just the Facts: Do You Qualify?
JUST THE FACTS · 7:15M
What is subsidized housing? | Episode 3 of Just the Facts: Do You Qualify?
JUST THE FACTS · 7:36M
How do SNAP benefits impact food insecurity? | Episode 4 of Just the Facts: Do You Qualify?
JUST THE FACTS · 9:17M
How does the government help low-income students? | Episode 5 of Just the Facts: Do You Qualify?
JUST THE FACTS · 9:34M
Everything you need to know about a government shutdown
A shutdown of the United States government affects people, government agencies, and businesses not just here, but worldwide.Here are the answers to some of Americans’ most-asked questions about a government shutdown:What is a government shutdown?A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass or the president refuses to sign a spending bill to fund the federal government’s operations. This results in a funding gap that can cause several government functions to be temporarily disrupted. Government shutdowns are often resolved by Congress passing continuing resolutions, which provide short-term funding while negotiations for a long-term solution continue. Every shutdown since 1990 has been ended with a continuing resolution.
Nov 13, 2025Is there a shortage of air traffic controllers?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controls air traffic at 290 terminals. And as of September 2024, over 40% of them were understaffed.In 2023, the FAA established a 85.0% staffing goal for terminal air control facilities. One-hundred and eighteen of them fell short of that target in 2024. Meanwhile, 172 facilities met or exceeded the staffing goal. Eighty-five had staffing levels of more than 100%; this was partially due to intentional overstaffing of new hires to account for expected attrition over the next two or three years. How understaffed were the facilities that fell short of the goal? Eighty-six had staffing ranges between 75.0% and 84.9%. The remaining 32 were staffed to 74.9% capacity or less.In 2024, the FAA employed 14,264 air traffic controllers.
Nov 12, 2025How many people work for the federal government?
As of August 2025, the federal government employed just under 3 million people. Federal government employees work at departments or agencies in one of the three branches of government — executive, legislative, or judicial — under the executive branch. It’s the 14th-largest workforce in all industries nationwide. When data tracking began in 1939, the federal workforce was less than one million. Federal employment numbers peaked at 3.4 million in May 1990 and the most recent low was in March 2014, with 2.7 million.How has the federal workforce changed over time? Between 1929 and 1945, the United States was grappling with the Great Depression and World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced the New Deal in 1933, and over the next five years established numerous new federal agencies to give people aid, and work, and get the country out of the Great Depression. And these agencies required thousands to staff them. Some agencies created during this period are still around, such as the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).The federal government increased civilian hiring during WWII to support the war effort. By February 1943, more than 3 million people worked for the federal government — tripling the civilian workforce in three years.
Nov 12, 2025How much does Medicare cost the federal government?
About $1.1 trillion in 2024. Spending on Medicare, a federally run health insurance program primarily for people 65 and older, came out to $17,786 per beneficiary or $3,299 for every person in the US.
Updates annuallyWho funds the FAA? You, whenever you fly
The majority of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) budget comes from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund (AATF), established by the Treasury Department in 1970 to support American aviation infrastructure. It collects revenue by taxing domestic flight tickets, international arrivals and departures, air cargo, plane fuel, and travelers’ purchases in loyalty and frequent flier programs.Passenger taxes are applied at the time of ticket purchase. Domestic passenger tickets were taxed at 7.5% in 2025. Flights between the continental US and Hawaii or Alaska added another $11.40 per passenger. These taxes contribute to the FAA’s budget.
Nov 6, 2025How much does Medicaid cost in the US?
A combined $894 billion in state and federal spending in fiscal year (FY) 2023, the most recent data available. That’s about $2,700 for every person living in the US. As a health insurance program for low-income individuals, Medicaid is jointly funded by both levels of government, with the federal government covering the larger share.
Updates annuallyThe 2025 government shutdown is the longest in US history
The 2025 government shutdown reached 35 days on November 5, eclipsing a 34-day shutdown in 2018–2019 for the longest in US history.The shutdown started when the previous budget expired at the onset of the fiscal year on October 1. Congress has been unable to pass a continuing resolution to reopen operations.
Nov 5, 2025Which states contribute the most and least to federal revenue?
In FY 2024, the federal government collected around $5.07 trillion from states and their residents through taxes on individuals and businesses and redistributed about $4.87 trillion back to states and residents through programs like Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, and education grants. The balance varies by state: Californians paid about $275.6 billion more to the federal government than they received, while Virginians received about $89.0 billion more than they paid.
Nov 3, 2025What is the federal government's budget deficit?
$1.83 trillion deficit in fiscal year (FY) 2024. A budget deficit occurs when the federal government spends more money than it brings in through taxes, customs duties, the sale of assets, and other revenues. When the government has a deficit, it borrows money by selling bonds and other securities in order to pay for it, adding to the national debt. A budget surplus, on the other hand, occurs when the government brings in more money than it spends.
Updates monthlyHow much do states spend on housing prisoners?
Over 1 million people were incarcerated as of December 2023, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics data. To house them, state governments spent a combined $63.6 billion. Spending per prisoner varies more than tenfold across states, from just under $20,000 in Mississippi to $284,976 in Massachusetts, more than double that of any other state. Median state spending was $60,989 per prisoner for the year.
Oct 31, 2025How will the government shutdown impact SNAP?
As the second-longest shutdown in US history continues, its effects increase over time: thousands of federal employees are furloughed, airport controllers and TSA agents work without pay, and without federal funding, millions of people may be without food assistance. The Agriculture Department (USDA) runs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, to provide food assistance to low-income people. SNAP is funded by open-ended mandatory spending, meaning that spending is not capped, and spending on the program depends on how many people qualify and claim benefits. Although the program is considered essential, its benefits rely on annual budgets. Without a budget or a continuing resolution, funds may run out. The USDA announced that no additional program funding is available beginning November 1, 2025. Twenty-five states and Washington, DC, have filed a lawsuit against the USDA for suspending SNAP funds. As of October 31, two federal judges have ruled that the administration must use contingency funding to support SNAP.As of this publication, at least three bills have been introduced to Congress to cover SNAP funding during the shutdown.
Oct 31, 2025How much debt does the US have?
About $37.6 trillion as of September 2025. The federal government borrows money when its spending and investments cannot be funded by federal revenue alone; this debt enables the government to pay for programs and services when funds aren’t immediately available.
Updates monthlyHow much US government debt is owned by other countries?
About 25.2%, as of June 2025, or $9.13 trillion. When the federal government spends more money than it collects in revenue, it sells US Treasury securities to bring in cash and pay for the difference. People, governments, corporations, and investment funds like retirement accounts — both US and international — can purchase these.
Updates quarterly