Non-defense discretionary (NDD) spending is $917 billion in projected outlays for FY 2024 or 14% of total outlays. NDD is funded by the 11 non-defense appropriations bills.[1] Non-defense discretionary spending has been trending downward, except for temporary increases due to the Great Recession and COVID-19 response efforts.
As a percent of GDP, non-defense discretionary spending was 4.4 percent in FY 2010 and fell to 3.1 percent of GDP by FY 2017. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic response, NDD rose to 4.3 percent of GDP in FY 2020, but fell to 3.9 percent in FY 2021, 3.6 percent in FY 2022, 3.4 percent of GDP in FY 2023 and is likely to be about the same in FY 2024.[2] Following is an overview of major NDD programs.
| Major Non-Defense Discretionary Programs | FY 2024 Estimated Outlays $ in billions (rounded)[3] |
| Veterans Healthcare (see mandatory spending for other VA programs) | 128 |
| Housing Assistance (including: public housing; rental assistance; and housing for rural, Native, disabled, elderly, and homeless Americans. |
66 |
| Highways (outlays are discretionary with obligation limitations set by the Appropriations Committees; see § 16.04) |
62 |
| Disaster Relief (FEMA) | 51 |
| Law Enforcement Activities (including Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement; Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms; Secret Service; Customs and Border Protection; Immigration & Customs Enforcement; Tax Enforcement) | 49 |
| National Institutes of Health (medical research and innovation) | 46 |
| Elementary, Secondary and Vocational Education (not including special education) | 44 |
| International Development and Humanitarian Assistance | 37 |
| Airports and Airways (air traffic control, airport infrastructure, research and development) | 24 |
| NASA (space exploration-Moon and Mars; earth and solar science; tracking asteroids,and comets; and aeronautics) | 24 |
| Community and Regional Development | 22 |
| Higher Education (see mandatory spending for direct loans) | 20 |
| General Science and Research (National Science Foundation and Dept. of Energy Science and Research) |
19 |
| International Security Assistance | 18 |
| Mass Transit | 18 |
| Prosecution, Civil Litigation, and Judicial Activities | 17 |
| Advancement of Commerce (standards, trade, small and minority businesses) | 16 |
| Marine Safety and Transportation | 16 |
| Conduct of Foreign Affairs (embassies, international orgs, etc.) | 15 |
| Water Resources (infrastructure, flood prevention) | 15 |
| Community Development | 15 |
| Children and Family Services (Head Start; foster care; child support; Native communities; early childhood; homeless youth; refugees; trafficking |
15 |
| Special Education (for children with disabilities as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) | 14 |
| Energy (rural electrification, petroleum reserves, clean-up, electricity & power marketing, nuclear energy, renewable energy, fusion research, cybersecurity) | 14 |
| Veterans Administration Admin. Expenses | 14 |
| Tax Administration | 12 |
| Environmental Protection: Pollution and Hazardous Substances | 11 |
| Agriculture (Animal/plant inspection, agricultural research, marketing assistance (see mandatory spending for price supports and income stabilization programs)) | 11 |
| Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund | 11 |
| Federal Prisons | 9 |
| Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration | 9 |
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | 9 |
| Medicare Administrative Expenses | 9 |
| Indian Health Service | 8 |
| Health Resources and Services Admin. (services for low-income, HIV patients, pregnancies, children, rural communities, transplant patients, health workforce) | 8 |
| Training and Employment | 8 |
| Refugee and Entrant Assistance | 8 |
| Law Enforcement and other Criminal Justice Assistance for States, Cities | 7 |
| Air Transportation Security | 7 |
| NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): storm warnings, weather forecasts, climate monitoring, coastal restoration) |
7 |
| Child Care Block Grant | 7 |
| Legislative Branch | 7 |
| Social Security Admin. Expenses | 6 |
| Nutrition Assistance for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) | 5 |
| Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) | 5 |
| Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Admin. Expenses | 5 |
| Railroads | 4 |
| Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food and drug safety | 4 |
| Unemployment Insurance Administrative Expenses | 4 |
| Foreign Information and Exchange Programs | 2 |
| Smithsonian and Library of Congress | 2 |
| Aging Services | 2 |
| Food Safety and Inspection | 1 |
| Occupational and Mine Safety and Health | 1 |
| AmeriCorps (enrolls more than 200,000 individuals each year to serve with nonprofits and community organizations across America) |
1 |
[1] Portions of the Energy-Water and Military Construction-VA appropriations bills are defense spending.
[2] [Off.] of Mgmt. & Budget, Exec. [Off.] of the President, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2025, Historical Tables, Table 8.4 (2024); and Cong. Budget Off., The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2024 to 2034 (2024).
[3] Source for projected FY 2023 outlays: President’s FY 2025 Budget, Analytical Perspectives, Table 25-1, Outlays.