Government spending articles
How much does FEMA spend on disaster response?
Around $31.7 billion per year on average, according to the last five years of data. In 2024, that would have been around 0.47% of the federal budget. This funding goes toward direct aid for individuals, debris removal, repairing public infrastructure, and projects that reduce future disaster risks.
Are major natural disasters increasing?
The number of natural weather disasters with damages of more than a billion dollars has increased over the last forty years. From 1980 to 2024, the US averaged 9 events per year, while the annual average for the most recent 5 years is 23.The National Centers for Environmental Information has kept track of billion-dollar natural disasters since 1980 and cites increased exposure, vulnerability, and climate change as reasons for the increase.Are billion-dollar natural disasters becoming more frequent?Of the 10 years with the most natural disasters, nine were in the last decade.Since 1980, there have been 402 natural weather disasters in the US with total costs over $1 billion, including:203 severe storms67 tropical cyclones (including hurricanes)44 floods32 droughts24 winter storms23 wildfiresand nine freezesIn total, these disasters cost $2.9 trillion and took the lives of 16,918 people.
What’s in Trump’s 2026 budget proposal?
A budget proposal sent from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to Congress details the Trump administration’s discretionary spending recommendations: The proposed FY 2026 budget keeps overall discretionary base spending level with 2025, but changes how some of that money is allocated, shifting $119.3 billion from non-defense programs to defense programs.“Discretionary spending” refers to the portion of the budget that requires congressional approval — in other words, funding that is up to the discretion of Congress.The rest is “mandatory spending,” funds spent automatically to cover required expenses under current law, including programs like Social Security and Medicare. Proposed changes to mandatory programs are not included in this data.What was the total discretionary presidential budget request for 2026?The president’s 2026 budget request included $1.69 trillion in discretionary spending split between what the OMB calls “base” and “non-base” funding. Base discretionary funding includes most spending through departments and agencies; non-base discretionary funding covers less predictable expenses like emergency and disaster relief.
Which states rely the most on federal aid?
In 2021, the US government provided nearly $1.3 trillion to state and local governments through federal grants. These grants made up a fifth of states’ total revenues, funding healthcare, education, social services, infrastructure, and public safety programs.Overall, federal aid to state and local governments has risen by over $400 billion since 2019 because of COVID-19's burden on healthcare and social programs.Though Office of Management and Budget data shows that while federal grants increased annually from 2013 to 2021, they fell in 2022 (when adjusted for inflation).Which states received the most money from the federal government?Federal funding comes through several overlapping programs targeting state and local governments. The proportion of state revenues attributable to federal aid is determined by combining the funding received by both state and local institutions.The five states that received the most federal aid were:California ($162.9 billion)New York ($110.2 billion)Texas ($105.8 billion)Florida ($58.8 billion)Pennsylvania ($57.1 billion)These figures largely correlate with population. To interpret state reliance on the federal government more accurately, we can look at total aid as a percentage of annual state revenues.