Increases in federal spending continues to be lower under the Obama administration than the administrations of Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 despite the lies of Mitt Romney, the republican party, conservatives in general and the right wing network of Fox News that have accused the democrats of being the big spenders. They have been wrong for over 30 years and during that 30 year period there has been only one democratic President who has served a full term. That was the administration of Bill Clinton that had the lowest increase in federal spending by far.
I wrote a commentary dated 10/31/09 titled Federal Spending: Facts vs. Myth that documented the spending of Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton and Bush 43 and this report will include spending under President Obama for the first two full fiscal years of his administration. The President's third full budget fiscal year will not end until 9/30/12 so those numbers are not yet available. Lets examine how federal spending played out for the last two fiscal years of George W. Bush and the following two fiscal years of Barrack Obama.
Total federal spending at the end of Bush's 6th fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/07 was $2,728.7 trillion. Total federal spending at the end of Bush's 7th fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/08 was $2,982.5 trillion, an increase of $253.8 Billion or a 9% increase in federal spending. Total federal spending at the end of Bush's 8th fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/09 was $3.517.9 Trillion, an increase of $535.2 Billion or an increase of 18%.
Total federal spending at the end of Obama's first fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/10 was $3.455.8 trillion, a decrease in spending of $62.1 billion dollars and a decrease of 1.7%. Total federal spending at the end of Obama's 2nd fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/11 was $3.603.1 trillion, an increase of $147 Billion or and increase of 4%. The so called conservative administration of George W. Bush continued the big spending spree of Reagan and Bush 41while the administration of President Obama continued the precedent set by President Clinton of much smaller spending by the federal government.
The Obama administration has controlled federal spending much better that Bush 43, Bush 41 and Reagan contrary to the conservative republican lies and the news media still have egg all over their faces for not reporting the facts. If one reads my commentary mentioned above you will see that Republicans are the party of increased federal spending in whopping amounts and during the years they accused the democrats.
President Obama has also controlled deficit spending better than Bush 43 who holds the record of the largest one year fiscal federal deficit that ended his last fiscal year budget on 9/30/09 at $1.412 trillion. Obama's deficits are as follows: Fiscal year ending 9/30/10 $1.294 trillion and for fiscal year ending 9/30/11 $1.299 trillion. And if one has the character and courage to admit that Bush 43 inherited a much better economy than Obama did it makes Obama's administration look even better than the actual numbers.
In taking up the talking points of the republican party, Mitt Romney is just another ditto head when he talks about federal spending being out of control on Obama's watch and is just another conservative who is incapable of competing with the facts. I will end this commentary the same way I ended the one dated 10/31/09.
Conservative Republican Presidents are best at controlling federal spending?????????????? That is pure myth, the numbers speak loud and clear.
Note: All budget numbers shown above taken from the CBO reports published on line.
For related articles see my commentary dated 12/6/09 titled The National Debt: Betrayal and Devastation, and the Fiscal Legacy of President GEorge W. Bush dated 10/30/09.
