Per the CBO: "The federal government devotes roughly one-sixth of its spending to 10
major means-tested programs and tax credits, which provide cash payments
or assistance in obtaining health care, food, housing, or education to
people with relatively low income or few assets..."
"... in 2012, federal spending on those programs and tax credits totaled $588 billion..."
"... Total federal spending on those 10 programs (adjusted to exclude the
effects of inflation) rose more than tenfold—or by an average of about 6
percent a year—in the four decades since 1972 (when only half of the
programs existed). As a share of the economy, federal spending on those
programs grew from 1 percent to almost 4 percent of gross domestic
product (GDP) over that period..."
"... Increases in spending per participant resulted mainly from two factors:
- Growth in the cost of providing assistance (such as rising costs for medical care), and
- Actions by lawmakers to provide more generous benefits (such as increases in SNAP benefits)"
