How Government Works
Where do your federal tax dollars actually go?
A quick tour of how Washington spends, who watches the books, and why "wasteful spending" debates can be trickier than they sound.
Federal spending has three big buckets: mandatory, discretionary, and interest on the debt.
A handful of programs — health care, Social Security, defense, and debt interest — make up most of the budget.
The GAO and inspectors general audit programs and publish findings on waste and fraud.