Despite Donald TrumpAfter announcing plans to introduce a Department of Government Effectiveness, the proportion of money spent by the US government appears to be similar to that of other developed countries.

The president-elect announced on his social media platform Truth Social that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would lead the new committeeotherwise known as “DOGE,” in reference to the cryptocurrency dogecoin, of which Musk is a big fan.

Trump said the so-called department “will provide advice and guidance from outside the government and partner with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget.”

In light of the announcement, News week looked at what U.S. government spending looks like.

How does the United States compare to other countries in terms of government spending?

According to data from the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. government appears to spend a similar proportion of its revenues on other countries around the world.

Based on 2022 data, the US government spent 36.26% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), a lower percentage than a number of European countries.

Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland, the United Kingdom, Finland and Sweden all spent a greater proportion of their GDP than America that year . This was also the case for Canada and Japan.

The US government spent a similar proportion of its GDP in countries like Russia, China, Mongolia and Australia.

America is therefore in the middle range of public spending on the world stage.

What does the government spend its money on?

Concerns about the amount of U.S. government spending grew in August when it was announced that the U.S. national debt exceeded $35.26 trillion, according to U.S. Treasury Department data, the most highest in absolute terms ever reached.

That equates to about $100,000 per person in a country of about 337 million people, and debt has become the second largest government expenseaccording to independent media Natural News.

In 2023, U.S. government spending exceeded its revenue by a difference of about $2 trillion, according to USA Facts.

While this year the debt was considered the second largest government expenditure, in 2023 it represented 11% of public spending, according to the media outlet.

Social Security represents the largest cost to the government, at $1.35 trillion, followed by national defense and Medicare.

At the same time, its main sources of revenue came from personal income taxes and payroll taxes.

U.S. government spending increased significantly between 2019 and 2020, and over the next three years it gradually declined, according to U.S. Treasury budget data.

However, over the past year, U.S. government spending has increased again.

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