USAFACTS:
How Congress keeps the government funded
At USAFacts, we talk a lot about how the government spends its money and what that means for the American people. But planning for the financial future of the country can be rife with political tensions and potential government shutdowns. In fact, Congress hasn’t passed a full budget on time since fiscal year 1997. So, how is the government getting funded?
- The president submits a budget request every February. By April 15, the House and Senate budget committees draft a resolution setting spending levels.
- Sometimes a proposed budget requires a law change, such as adjusting mandatory spending or increasing the debt limit. In these cases, Congress must also pass reconciliation bills, which change the laws necessary to pass a budget that meets the outline in the resolution. This must be done by June 15 of each year.
- Appropriations committees then write detailed spending bills, due by June 30. If these aren’t passed by the end of the fiscal year in September, Congress has two options: pass a continuing resolution to temporarily fund financial programs that keep the government running or shut the government down.
- Continuing resolutions have covered some or all appropriations in every fiscal year since 1997 and 46 of the last 49 fiscal years.
Crime by the numbers
How does the nation track crime? The latest numbers show the combined violent and property crime rate is down overall. But there’s more to the story when you dig into the details, which is one of our favorite things to do. Here are the numbers.
- Last year, the US recorded 359 violent crimes and 1,760 property crimes per 100,000 people. The nation’s combined violent and property crime rate fell 8.4% versus the previous year. The overall crime rate is down 49.1% since 2001.
- In 2024, there was about one violent offense for every 278 people, and 71.3% of all violent crimes were aggravated assaults. There was about one property crime for every 57 people, and 72.3% of all property crimes were larceny-thefts, more colloquially known as stealing.
- Alaska had the highest violent crime rate, at 724 offenses per 100,000 people, while Maine had the lowest, at 100. New Mexicohad the highest property crime rate, at 2,751 per 100,000, while Idaho had the lowest, at 736.
- Our website has stats for your home state. The pages are updated annually.
Data behind the news
Last week, the Office of Management and Budget instructed agencies to plan for layoffs (rather than furloughs) in the event of a government shutdown.
Storms Humberto and Imelda could bring hazardous weather conditions to parts of the Atlantic coast this week. Track Atlantic hurricane season here.
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One last fact
The US has trade relations with more than 200 countries, territories, and regional associations. Mexico, Canada, and China have been the top three trading partners with the US since 2004. China’s position has bounced around; it was the sixth top trading partner in 1999, but the first from 2016 to 2018.
