The annual federal budget process as well as the budget itself are at the heart of what congress and the president do. NPP tries to make the budget and the budget process more understandable in the pages below so that Americans can become better informed as to how their tax dollars are spent.

Click on a link below to learn about a budget topic.

• Federal Budget Timeline: How and when do we get a federal budget?
• Federal Budget Spending: How are our tax dollars spent?
• Federal Budget Revenues: Where does the federal government get its money?
• Discretionary and Mandatory Spending: What's the difference between discretionary and mandatory spending?
• Deficit, Surplus and the National Debt: Do they matter?
• Federal Funds and Trust Funds: What are these two types of federal budget funds?
• On- and Off- Budget Spending: Why is Social Security "off-budget," and what does that mean?
• Glossary of Federal Budget Terms: Don't understand a federal budget term? Look here.