Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Investing

Independence in 1776; Dependence in 2023

by July 3, 2023
July 3, 2023
Independence in 1776; Dependence in 2023

Chris Edwards

Federal government spending is soaring and debt will soon reach record highs compared to the size of the economy. Rising spending and debt are undermining growth and may push the nation into a financial crisis.

As the federal government’s size has expanded, the scope of its activities has also grown. The government subsidizes farming, health care, school lunches, broadband, rural utilities, energy, rental housing, aviation, passenger rail, public broadcasting, chip manufacturing, job training, foreign aid, education, urban transit, space exploration, and hundreds of other activities.

For decades, the government has published an official list of all its grant or subsidy programs for the states, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. The list used to be called the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance but is now called Assistance Listings. The list is a rough indicator of the steadily expanding scope of federal interventions.

The chart shows that there are 2,418 federal grant or subsidy programs in 2023, more than double the number in 1990. Each new subsidy program requires higher taxes or more federal borrowing. Each subsidy generates a bureaucracy, spawns lobby groups, and encourages more special interests to demand handouts.

The rise in size and scope of federal subsidies means that Americans are losing their independence. State and local governments, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals that become hooked on subsidies become tools of the federal government. They have less incentive to work and innovate, and they shy away from criticizing government policies.

Let’s all celebrate July 4, but remember that the path to freedom and prosperity is to cut the size and scope of the federal government.

____________________________

Data Notes: Counts for 2020 and 2023 are from July listings under grantsgov here. Previous years were counts based on hardcopy and electronic versions of the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. The new Assistance Listings keeps the same CFDA numbers. The counts should be considered only a rough measure of federal subsidies since what constitutes one program and one grant is rather loose.

An example of a new grant program is CFDA 20.939 for safe streets enacted in 2021. You can get a sense of the bureaucracy in this one new subsidy program reading the materials here and here. There is no reason for this new federal intervention, as the states themselves are in favor of safe streets and have their own revenue sources.

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Sector Spotlight: Two Sectors Hitting New All-Time Closing High
next post
Social Media “Blockings” Send Two Cases to the Supreme Court

You may also like

Will the Precautionary FDA Slow‐​Walk Approval of a Promising...

May 31, 2023

Friday Feature: Colossal Academy

July 28, 2023

The STRIP Act Is a Good Step in the...

June 14, 2023

Terrorist Entry Through the Southwest Border

September 15, 2023

The State of Student Loan Forgiveness: November 2024

November 29, 2024

Should CMS Raise the Price (Reduce the Subsidy)...

February 21, 2024

A Flagrant Violation of Americans’ Privacy, Says Senator...

January 22, 2024

The FTC Event that Wasn’t: The Attention Economy...

June 3, 2025

Friday Feature: Eye of a Scientist

August 9, 2024

The Supreme Court Strikes Down Home Equity Theft

May 25, 2023

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • TSA tells Americans their Costco cards won’t fly at airport security despite love for hot dogs

      June 7, 2025
    • Trump announces China will restart rare earth mineral shipments to US after productive call

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk feud presents ‘unprecedented’ dynamic compared to past Trump disputes: expert

      June 7, 2025
    • Snub of Musk’s NASA nominee ally preceded sudden ‘big, beautiful bill’ criticism, Trump feud

      June 6, 2025
    • Supreme Court rules DOGE can access Social Security information

      June 6, 2025
    • US sanctions money laundering network aiding Iran as regime faces nuclear reprimand at IAEA

      June 6, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,149)
    • Investing (2,019)
    • Politics (15,558)
    • Stocks (3,134)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved