On the off chance that my recent series of posts on the Federal budget (here, here, and here) might have ignited a burning desire for more information (or simply a desire to check my facts and make sure I'm not making it all up), I'm posting a set of links to Federal financial and budget information. Hours of fun await you!

Spending, Revenue & National Debt Figures

My principal source for actual figures (as opposed to budgets or forecasts) on spending, revenue and the national debt is the Financial Management Service (FMS) of the U.S. Treasury. These are the folks who perform the actual day-to-day accounting functions of the Federal government. Three important documents published by FMS are:

• The Treasury Bulletin (quarterly) - see especially the sections on "Federal Fiscal Operations" and "Federal Debt"
• The Monthly Treasury Statement - especially Table 5, "Outlays of the U.S. Government" (and remember that the Federal fiscal year ends in September)
• The Financial Report of the U.S. Government - see "Note 11" for pensions & similar liabilities, and "Note 10" for the balances in selected trust funds

Tax Information

A couple of handy sources of information on taxes and related statistics:

• Congress's Joint Committee on Taxation
• IRS's Tax Stats page

Budget-Related Agencies

Budget-related materials from Executive Branch and Congressional agencies:

• The White House Office of Management and Budget - develops and publishes the President's proposed budget as well as the Mid-Session Review. Recommended reading: The Budget System and Concepts
• The Congressional Budget Office - a good source for reports on specific budget topics as well as the overall fiscal picture
• The Government Accountability Office (GAO) - formerly the General Accounting Office, this Congressional agency acts as the Federal government's internal auditor, and it provides special reports upon the request of Congress. Not a budget agency per se, but GAO publications provide a perspective on Federal financial issues not available elsewhere. The link I've given is to the GAO's testimony and reports issued over the past week. These folks are busy!

Other Governmental Sources

• House Ways & Means Committee Green Book: an overview of the major entitlement programs (OASDI, SSI, Medicare, Medcaid, TANF, et al). If you want to know what these programs are and how they work, start here.
• Social Security Administration Trustees Reports: the current and long-range finances of OASDI and Medicare.

Non-Governmental Sources

I tend to rely primarily on official sources (like the good bureaucrat I am), but these (liberal, but reality-based) sources may be of interest:

• Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
• Tax Policy Center (a joint venture of the Brookings Institute and the Urban Institute).