Department of Agriculture
USDA · FY2017–FY2026 budget trends
Administers food assistance programs including SNAP, provides crop insurance and farm subsidies, inspects food safety, manages national forests, and supports rural development. Spends $57 billion in grants — mostly food assistance and farm subsidies — dwarfing its $9.6 billion contract portfolio.
💰 Taxpayer Accountability
Decades of farm subsidies have primarily benefited large agribusiness operations, not the small family farms politicians love to invoke. SNAP fraud, while a fraction of total spending, amounts to billions in waste, and the department's dual role as both industry promoter and safety regulator creates inherent conflicts of interest.
Budget Authority (FY2026)
$449.8B
Total Contracts
$9.6B
Total Grants
$56.8B
Budget Growth (FY17→25)
+49.9%
+$61.7B
Contracts vs Grants
Budget Trend
Year-over-Year Changes
| FY | Budget | YoY | Obligated | YoY | Outlays | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $220.5B | — | $135.7B | — | $129.4B | — |
| 2018 | $224.4B | +1.8% | $183.5B | +35.3% | $153.0B | +18.3% |
| 2019 | $242.5B | +8.1% | $204.7B | +11.5% | $173.5B | +13.4% |
| 2020 | $322.4B | +33.0% | $290.7B | +42.0% | $207.8B | +19.8% |
| 2021 | $392.4B | +21.7% | $260.0B | -10.5% | $228.5B | +10.0% |
| 2022 | $431.9B | +10.1% | $286.9B | +10.3% | $260.3B | +13.9% |
| 2023 | $475.2B | +10.0% | $296.6B | +3.4% | $249.3B | -4.2% |
| 2024 | $437.2B | -8.0% | $253.9B | -14.4% | $233.0B | -6.5% |
| 2025 | $463.6B | +6.0% | $276.6B | +8.9% | $253.2B | +8.7% |
| 2026 | $449.8B | -3.0% | $28.9B | -89.6% | $64.8B | -74.4% |
How This Agency's Growth Compares
Department of Agriculture grew +49.9% from FY2017 to FY2025 — #10 growing of 18 major agencies.
| # | Agency | Growth % | Growth $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Energy | +154.4% | +$49.4B |
| 2 | Department of Homeland Security | +153.1% | +$44.4B |
| 3 | General Services Administration | +107.7% | +$12.9B |
| 4 | Department of Transportation | +97.4% | +$66.5B |
| 5 | Department of the Interior | +90.5% | +$8.8B |
| 6 | Department of State | +84.0% | +$16.2B |
| 7 | Department of Health and Human Services | +66.7% | +$809.9B |
| 8 | Social Security Administration | +64.9% | +$643.6B |
| 9 | Department of Defense | +52.8% | +$173.1B |
| 10 | → Department of Agriculture | +49.9% | +$61.7B |
| 11 | Department of Housing and Urban Development | +43.8% | +$23.7B |
| 12 | Department of Veterans Affairs | +41.7% | +$84.8B |
| 13 | Department of Education | +28.1% | +$21.1B |
| 14 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | +24.4% | +$4.5B |
| 15 | Railroad Retirement Board | +15.1% | +$1.9B |
| 16 | Department of Labor | +10.1% | +$1.1B |
| 17 | Department of Justice | -2.5% | -$292.0M |
| 18 | Agency for International Development | -26.6% | -$4.4B |
Related Agencies
Related Pages
Budget Functions
How federal spending is categorized by purpose and function.
Read more →Top Contractors
Which companies receive the most federal contract dollars.
Read more →Spending Explosion
How federal spending has grown dramatically since 2017.
Read more →Sub-Agencies
Detailed spending by sub-agencies and bureaus.
Read more →Source: USASpending.gov · U.S. Department of the Treasury