| Year | President | Senate | House | Spending 1. |
| Dem | Rep | % of GDP | Increase |
| 2011 | Obama | D-53 | 45% | 55% |
| 2009 | Obama | D - 55*** | 59% | 41% | 25.3% | 16.2% |
| 2007 | G.W. Bush | D - 51** | 54% | 46% | 22.7% | 20.7% |
| 2005 | G.W. Bush | R - 55 | 47% | 53% | 19.6% | 13.0% |
| 2003 | G.W. Bush | R - 51 | 47% | 53% | 19.4% | 14.2% |
| 2001 | G.W. Bush | D* | 49% | 51% | 19.1% | 14.2% |
| 1999 | Clinton | R - 55 | 49% | 51% | 18.0% | 8.9% |
| 1997 | Clinton | R - 55 | 48% | 52% | 18.5% | 6.1% |
| 1995 | Clinton | R - 52 | 47% | 53% | 19.6% | 6.2% |
| 1993 | Clinton | D - 57 | 59% | 41% | 20.5% | 6.7% |
| 1991 | H.W. Bush | D - 56 | 61% | 39% | 21.5% | 8.3% |
| 1989 | H.W. Bush | D - 55 | 60% | 40% | 21.9% | 16.7% |
| 1987 | Reagan | D - 55 | 59% | 41% | 20.9% | 10.7% |
| 1985 | Reagan | R - 53 | 58% | 42% | 21.7% | 10.9% |
| 1983 | Reagan | R - 54 | 62% | 38% | 22.1% | 15.7% |
| 1981 | Reagan | R - 53 | 56% | 44% | 22.9% | 22.4% |
| 1979 | Carter | D - 58 | 64% | 36% | 21.4% | 31.8% |
| 1977 | Carter | D - 61 | 67% | 33% | 19.8% | 23.3% |
| 1975 | Ford | D - 60 | 67% | 33% | 20.3% | 29.8% |
| 1973 | Ford | D - 56 | 56% | 44% | 19.1% | 26.3% |
| 1971 | Nixon | D - 54 | 59% | 41% | 18.2% | 17.4% |
| 1969 | Nixon | D - 57 | 56% | 44% | 18.7% | 12.2% |
| 1967 | Johnson | D - 64 | 57% | 43% | 19.1% | 23.9% |
| 1965 | Johnson | D - 68 | 68% | 32% | 18.0% | 23.3% |
| 1963 | Johnson | D - 66 | 60% | 40% | 17.2% | 8.5% |
| 1961 | Kennedy | D - 64 | 60% | 40% | 18.1% | 7.9% |
| 1959 | Eisenhower | D - 65 | 65% | 35% | 18.9% | 12.6% |
| 1957 | Eisenhower | D - 49 | 53% | 47% | 18.4% | 13.8% |
| 1955 | Eisenhower | D - 48 | 53% | 47% | 17.6% | 4.4% |
| 1953 | Eisenhower | R - 48 | 51% | 49% | 19.1% | -0.3% |
| 1951 | Truman | D - 49 | 54% | 46% | 20.5% | 61.7% |
| 1949 | Truman | D - 54 | 60% | 40% | 14.8% | 23.7% |
| 1947 | Truman | R - 51 | 43% | 57% | 14.8% | -29.8% |
| 1945 | Truman | D - 57 | 56% | 44% | 14.8% | -29.8% |
* There were 50 Ds and 50 Rs until May 24, 2001, when Sen. James Jeffords (R-VT) switched to Independent status, effective June 6, 2001; he announced that he would caucus with the Democrats, giving the Democrats a one-seat advantage.
** Independent Sen. Bernard Sanders (VT) gives the Democrats a one-seat majority.
*** Two Independents and two vacancies (IL and MN)
1. Spending is based on the average budget established in the year shown and followng year and actual spending in the following two years.
E.g. 2007 spending was the average for the Bush 2007 and 2008 budgets spent in 2008 and 2009.
The 2008 budget including Bush's bail outs and wars was 25% of GDP, an 18% increase from $3.0 to $3.7 trillion.
The 2009-10 budgets were a 4.3% increase over the last Bush budget.
Increase is in actual $ not percent of GDP.
It is difficult to place responsibility for spending in a transition year.
For example the 2009 budget established in 2008 was around 3 trillion, however additional spending [
the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) -$245 M;
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) - $100 M;
and increases in primary budget categories such as Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, Social Security, and Defense - $185 M] drove actual spending in 2009 over
$3.5 trillion.
Spending sometimes lags legislation by years. For example the Health Care Reform bill signed by the president in March 2010 has provisions which don't take effect until 2014 and 2015.
Many people think that Reagan reduced the size of government based on the conservative movement that swept him into office.
After one failed attempt to reduce Social Security spending in 1981, he never seriously challenged federal spending again. He increased total spending 57% and the national debt by 161% from $994 billion to $2.6 trillion. Debt as a percent of GDP went up 59%.
Clinton on the other hand increased spending by 27% and the national debt by 29%.
Debt as a % of GDP went down 12%.
Sources: A Visual Guide To The Balance of Power In Congress, 1945-2008 - uspolitics.about.com
Federal Spending at USGovernmentSpending.com
Budget of the United States Government: Historical Tables at GPOaccess.gov
Links:
U.S. Budget - Spending - Deficit - Taxes
Presidential Ratings
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last updated 18 Dec 2010
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