Spending by President: Obama vs Trump vs Biden
Published: February 2025
Neither party is fiscally conservative. The data proves it.
Federal Spending FY2009–2025
Source: USASpending.gov API (FY2017+), Congressional Budget Office (pre-2017)
Barack Obama
Democrat · FY2010-FY2017
Donald Trump (1st)
Republican · FY2018-FY2021
Includes COVID emergency spending
Joe Biden
Democrat · FY2022-FY2025
Key Finding
Federal spending doubled under Trump (from $4.1T to $6.8T) driven by COVID emergency spending — and it never came back down under Biden. Biden's average annual spending ($6.56T) is 82% higher than Obama's ($3.61T). Both parties spent freely. The ratchet only goes one direction.
Major Spending Events
A Note on Fiscal Years
Federal fiscal years run October 1 through September 30. A president inaugurated in January inherits the current fiscal year's budget from the prior administration. Their first "own" budget typically begins the following October. FY2017 and FY2021 are transition years — marked accordingly in the chart.
The Bipartisan Spending Machine
Republicans campaign on fiscal responsibility. Democrats campaign on smart investments. Both deliver the same result: more spending, more debt, higher deficits. Obama added $7.5 trillion to the national debt. Trump added $7.8 trillion in half the time. Biden is on pace for $6.2 trillion in one term.
The COVID era proved that emergency spending becomes permanent spending. The "temporary" surge of 2020 set a new baseline that neither party has any incentive to reduce. Federal spending as a share of GDP has permanently ratcheted upward.
If you're waiting for "your party" to fix the deficit, the data says you'll be waiting forever. Government grows under everyone.