Did you know that the National Institutes of Health spent $374,000 to find out if a puppet show would convince preschoolers to eat more vegetables? Or, that the Department of Agriculture gave $50,000 to a business that packs and sells alpaca manure?
Whether you knew or not, your tax dollars paid for it–and much more. In 2014, federal spending per household was a staggering $28,826.
Here are some more key facts from “Federal Spending by the Numbers 2014,” a new Heritage report.
1. Even with the temporary drop in deficits and the Budget Control Act, federal spending and the national debt are projected to increase drastically. The current national debt tops $18 trillion, which is more than 100 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product. Without reforming federal spending, especially on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the rising debt threatens Americans with higher taxes and fewer economic opportunities through less growth. At some point, investors may even lose confidence in the federal government’s ability to service the debt.
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