Our Methodology
How we transform 904 pages of complex legislation into understandable data.
Process Overview
Data Extraction
Parse the official 904-page PDF and Congressional data
Program Identification
Identify all 750 individual programs and funding amounts
Analysis & Categorization
Group by departments and calculate taxpayer impact
Citizen Education
Present findings through interactive dashboards
Data Sources
Primary Source
H.R. 2882 - Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024
- Official PDF document (904 pages)
- Passed by Congress on March 23, 2024
- Signed into law immediately to avoid government shutdown
- Contains 750 individual appropriation programs
- Total appropriations: $1.89 trillion
Supporting Data
- Congress.gov: Official legislative information and voting records
- Congressional Budget Office: Economic impact and deficit projections
- IRS Statistics: Taxpayer count (133M filers) for per-capita calculations
- Treasury Department: Debt service and interest rate data
- Federal Agencies: Program descriptions and operational details
Departmental Analysis Framework
Our analysis organizes the 750 programs into 8 major departmental categories based on actual government structure and function. This provides clarity on how your tax dollars are distributed across the federal government.
Government Operations
Treasury, Congress, Courts, Administration
103 programs • 13.7% by count
Health & Human Services
CDC, NIH, Veterans Care, Social Programs
86 programs • 11.5% by count
Defense & Security
Military, Homeland Security, Intelligence
81 programs • 10.8% by count
International Affairs
State Department, Foreign Aid, Diplomacy
52 programs • 6.9% by count
Transportation & Infrastructure
Highways, Aviation, Housing, Public Works
49 programs • 6.5% by count
Agriculture & Food
Farm Support, Nutrition, Rural Development
47 programs • 6.3% by count
Education & Labor
Schools, Job Training, Workforce Development
42 programs • 5.6% by count
Environmental & Energy
EPA, Interior, National Parks, Energy
38 programs • 5.1% by count
Key Finding: Program Distribution vs Spending
While Government Operations leads by program count (103 programs), the largest spending categories are different. Defense & Security represents the largest dollar amount, highlighting how administrative programs are numerous but individually smaller, while operational programs like defense and healthcare involve massive expenditures.
Data Processing & Validation
Extraction Process
- PDF Text Extraction: Parse the 904-page official PDF using automated tools while preserving page references, formatting, and structural relationships.
- Program Identification: Identify all 750 individual appropriation items, their amounts, purposes, and responsible agencies through pattern recognition.
- Amount Standardization: Convert monetary values from various formats (millions, billions, text descriptions) into consistent numerical data.
- Categorical Mapping: Assign each program to appropriate departmental categories based on actual government structure and operational function.
- Cross-Validation: Verify totals against official congressional summaries and ensure mathematical consistency across all categories.
Quality Assurance
- All 750 programs sum to exactly $1.89 trillion total appropriations
- Individual program amounts cross-checked against source bill text
- Category totals verified against departmental budget summaries
- Per-taxpayer calculations use official IRS filing data (133M taxpayers)
- Page references maintained for source verification
- Multiple parser runs ensure consistent extraction results
Current Analysis Status
We're systematically analyzing each program, starting with the largest appropriations. Each analysis includes budget breakdown, purpose explanation, and taxpayer impact assessment.
Output Formats & Accessibility
Interactive Dashboard
Web-based interface with filtering, searching, and visualization tools. Designed for citizens to explore spending in real-time.
- Department-by-department breakdowns
- Program search and filtering
- Visual spending comparisons
- Mobile-responsive design
Program Analyses
Detailed breakdowns of individual programs with plain-English explanations, source page references, and taxpayer impact calculations.
- Executive summaries
- Source PDF page links
- Historical context
- Taxpayer cost analysis
Raw Data Access
Machine-readable formats for researchers, journalists, and developers who need direct access to the underlying data.
- JSON API endpoints
- Structured metadata
- Bulk data downloads
- Developer documentation
Key Calculations & Methodology
Per-Taxpayer Cost
$14,212 = $1,890,000,000,000 ÷ 133,000,000
Based on IRS data for tax year 2023. Note: This represents the average burden across all taxpayers, but actual tax burden varies significantly by income level.
Real Tax Burden Distribution
$50K-$100K: $11,200 per person
$100K-$200K: $28,400 per person
$200K+: $147,500 per person
Based on proportional federal tax contribution by income bracket:
- Top 4% of earners pay 46.5% of federal taxes
- Middle class carries significant burden relative to income
- Lower income households contribute through payroll taxes
Spending Velocity
$60,000/second = $1.89T ÷ 31,536,000 seconds/year
$5.2B/day = $1.89T ÷ 365 days
This represents the rate at which appropriated funds are authorized for spending, providing perspective on the scale of federal expenditures.
Limitations & Important Context
- Appropriations vs. Expenditures: These are authorized spending amounts passed by Congress. Actual expenditures may be lower and occur over multiple years.
- Emergency & Supplemental Funding: This analysis covers the base omnibus bill only. Additional emergency appropriations throughout 2024 are not included.
- Mandatory vs. Discretionary: The omnibus primarily covers discretionary spending. Mandatory programs like Social Security benefits are largely separate.
- Multi-Year Programs: Some appropriations provide funding authority for multiple fiscal years. We report them as stated in the bill text.
- Categorization Subjectivity: While we follow official government structure, some programs could reasonably fit in multiple categories.
- Political Context: This bill was passed under deadline pressure to avoid government shutdown, with limited time for congressional review.
Technical Implementation
Technology Stack
- Python for PDF parsing and data processing
- Next.js and React for web interface
- Tailwind CSS for responsive design
- D3.js for data visualizations
- Node.js API for data serving
- JSON for structured data storage
Data Management
- Automated total verification across all levels
- Source page tracking for every data point
- Version control for analysis updates
- API endpoints for programmatic access
- Mobile-optimized delivery
- Regular data integrity checks
Open Source Commitment
Our parsing tools, analysis methodology, and presentation code are available for public review and contribution. We believe transparency in government spending analysis requires transparency in the tools used to analyze it. Citizens, researchers, and developers are welcome to verify our work, suggest improvements, and build upon our findings.