Budget Matters Blog


Primary Stakes: Tale of Two Super Tuesday States

The presidential election is about voters’ vision for how the federal government should serve the American people. National Priorities Project’s Primary Stakes series examines how residents of primary states currently rely on assistance from the federal government, and two Super Tuesday states illustrate that support from the federal government—and taxes ...

You Ask, We Answer: Is Social Security Part of the Federal Budget?

Many of our Facebook fans have been asking why National Priorities Project includes Social Security in charts about federal spending. If Social Security is funded by a dedicated source—your payroll taxes, also called FICA—then shouldn’t Social Security be shown separately from other kinds of federal spending? Most of the cost ...


Budget Brief - Job Creation in the Budget

Senior research analyst Mattea Kramer looks through the President's budget proposal to find out what is designated for job creation.     Want to make sure you don't miss any of our videos? Subscribe to NPP's YouTube Channel!


Priority Number One: Job Creation

Likely voters said their top priority for President Obama’s 2013 budget was job creation, according to a poll conducted last month by The Hill. The president released his fiscal 2013 budget on Feb. 13, and it includes around $350 billion for job creation, including money for jobs in the short-term, ...


Primary Stakes: Federal Money Flows into Hard-Hit Michigan

National Priorities Project examines direct federal support to Michigan residents, and federal money in the state’s budget.


Budget Brief - Twelve Zeros

National Priorities Project's executive director Jo Comerford explains NPP's Twelve Zeros campaign, three weeks of bite sized information about the President's budget proposal.


Data Story: Programs Highlighted in the Budget Request

Our latest data story highlights some of the historical federal spending patterns for several grant programs featured in President Obama's budget proposal for fiscal year 2013.


Analysis of Fiscal Year 2013 Pentagon Spending Request

On February 14, 2012 the Obama Administration released its proposed Fiscal Year 2013 budget for the federal government. The request includes $525.4 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD) in Fiscal Year 2013, which begins on October 1, 2012. Adjusted for inflation, this is 2.6 percent below FY2012 levels, the ...

Data Wednesday: Normalizing

When looking at data, you may hear or read the phrase normalization. Simply put, normalization is transforming a set of data so that they may be compared in a meaningful way. Still sounds geeky? Although you may not realize it, you use normalized data all the time. The latest Data Wednesday walks you through an example using familiar information: unemployment numbers.


Budget Brief - The President's Budget: Discretionary Spending

National Priorities Project executive director Jo Comerford examines the discretionary portion of the President's proposed federal budget. Don't remember the difference between discretionary and mandatory spending? Refresh your memory here!