Each year, CBO releases a set of four budget infographics that provide a detailed look at the past fiscal year as well as broader trends over the past few decades. Today, CBO published the latest infographics showing the federal budget results in fiscal year 2020.
These infographics help people understand how much the government spends and takes in each year and what programs and revenue sources account for the largest portions of those budgetary flows.
Spending in fiscal year 2020 differed significantly from spending in previous years, in part because of the legislative response to the 2020–2021 coronavirus pandemic. The first two infographics (which show the budgetary overview and mandatory spending) highlight the largest programs created in response to the pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program, pandemic-related unemployment compensation, recovery rebates, and the Coronavirus Relief Fund.
You can view the infographics for 2020 below, including an interactive version of the one about the overall federal budget:
- The Federal Budget in Fiscal Year 2020
- Mandatory Spending in Fiscal Year 2020
- Discretionary Spending in Fiscal Year 2020
- Revenues in Fiscal Year 2020
Infographics for fiscal years 2019 and 2018 are also available.
Dan Ready is an analyst in CBO’s Budget Analysis Division.