Environmental Protection Agency
EPA · FY2017–FY2026 budget trends
Sets and enforces environmental regulations for air and water quality, manages Superfund toxic waste cleanup, regulates pesticides and chemicals, and administers environmental grants to states. Its $25.6 billion in grants dwarfs its $1.7 billion contract budget.
💰 Taxpayer Accountability
Critics question whether the agency's ever-expanding regulatory reach delivers environmental results proportional to its cost. The cumulative burden of EPA regulations on businesses and consumers runs into the hundreds of billions annually, and Superfund cleanup sites linger for decades — a testament to bureaucratic inertia rather than environmental progress.
Budget Authority (FY2026)
$48.8B
Total Contracts
$1.7B
Total Grants
$25.6B
Contracts vs Grants
Budget Trend
Year-over-Year Changes
| FY | Budget | YoY | Obligated | YoY | Outlays | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $14.6B | — | $10.4B | — | $9.9B | — |
| 2018 | $15.3B | +4.9% | $10.8B | +4.5% | $10.0B | +0.8% |
| 2019 | $16.1B | +4.9% | $10.6B | -1.9% | $10.2B | +1.8% |
| 2020 | $16.9B | +5.4% | $11.3B | +6.5% | $10.5B | +3.5% |
| 2021 | $17.2B | +1.8% | $11.9B | +5.0% | $10.3B | -1.7% |
| 2022 | $76.5B | +343.5% | $19.5B | +64.4% | $14.9B | +43.6% |
| 2023 | $82.9B | +8.4% | $23.7B | +21.2% | $14.8B | -0.7% |
| 2024 | $84.4B | +1.8% | $54.4B | +129.9% | $15.5B | +5.3% |
| 2025 | $64.6B | -23.4% | $34.3B | -37.0% | $38.5B | +147.8% |
| 2026 | $48.8B | -24.5% | $2.2B | -93.5% | $4.8B | -87.5% |
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