Government & Debt
The national debt, deficits, federal receipts and outlays, interest, defense and elections.
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Party Control and America's Wars, 1789–2025
Who held the White House, the Senate and the House in every Congress since 1789, set against the dates and U.S. deaths of America's major wars.
Updated 2025 -
Real Time US Federal Tax Collection
Federal taxes collected as a clock runs, $165,989 every second: half from individual income tax, a third from payroll taxes.
Updated 2025 -
Party Control of the White House, Senate and House, 1789–2027
The President's party and every party's seats in the Senate and House, Congress by Congress since 1789, as a bullseye of three rings.
Updated the 119th Congress (2025–2027) -
The Reading Level of the State of the Union, 1790–2026
The Flesch–Kincaid reading grade of every State of the Union message since 1790, from beyond a college graduate in the 1800s to 6.9 in 2026.
Updated 2026 -
Words That Came and Went in the State of the Union, 1790–2026
How often five words, from heretofore and intercourse to tonight and folks, appear in every State of the Union message since 1790, as a grid that lights each word against its own busiest year.
Updated 2026 -
Country Names in the State of the Union, 1790–2026
How often Britain, Spain, Mexico, China and Russia are named in every State of the Union message since 1790, as a grid that lights each country against its own busiest year.
Updated 2026 -
Money Words in the State of the Union, 1790–2026
How often five words, from specie and silver to inflation and deficit, appear in every State of the Union message since 1790, as a grid that lights each word against its own busiest year.
Updated 2026 -
Technology Words in the State of the Union, 1790–2026
How often five words, from steam and railroad to space and the internet, appear in every State of the Union message since 1790, as a grid that lights each word against its own busiest year.
Updated 2026 -
The Tone of the State of the Union, 1790–2026
Positive and negative words in every State of the Union message since 1790, as the VADER word list rates them, drawn as two lines with the gap colored by whichever leads.
Updated 2026 -
“I” and “We” in the State of the Union, 1790–2026
How often every State of the Union message since 1790 says “I” and how often “we”, as two lines with the gap colored by whichever leads.
Updated 2026 -
The State of the Union in 19 Words, 1790–2026
How often 19 words, from war and debt to jobs and climate, appear in every State of the Union message since 1790, as a grid that lights each word against its own busiest year.
Updated 2026 -
Where the Federal Government's Money Goes, 1940–2025
Federal outlays by function as a rising tide — defense, Social Security, health, the safety net, interest and the rest, stacked in nominal dollars. Fiscal years since 1940.
Updated FY2025 -
Where the Federal Government's Money Comes From, 1940–2025
Federal receipts by source as a rising tide — income, payroll, corporate, excise and customs taxes and the rest, stacked in nominal dollars. Fiscal years since 1940.
Updated FY2025 -
US National Debt in Barrels of Oil, 1966–2026
The national debt in barrels of oil as a line, the price of a barrel of WTI crude as a barrel. Monthly since 1966.
Updated August 2026 -
US National Debt, One Square per $100 Billion, 1966–2026
The US national debt as squares of $100 billion lighting up month by month, fifty to a row, the year each row began beside it. Monthly since 1966.
Updated August 2026 -
Federal Interest vs. Defense Spending, 1947–2026
Federal interest payments and defense spending as two lines, with a rung between them every year and the gap at the tip. Quarterly since 1947.
Updated Q2 2026 -
US National Debt in Single-Family Homes, 1966–2026
The national debt in new single-family homes as a line, the median home price as a house. Monthly since 1966.
Updated August 2026 -
US National Debt in Labor Hours, 1966–2026
The national debt in hours of work as a line, the average hourly wage as a sphere. Monthly since 1966.
Updated August 2026