02-15-2024-FR-(Final)
02-15-2024-FR-(Final)
02-15-2024-FR-(Final)
W ASH I N G T O N , D . C .
During fiscal year 2023, the American economy continued to improve and the gains have been widely
shared: consumers have more purchasing power, businesses have been investing more, and inflation has
come down significantly. The labor market is also strong, with the unemployment rate near historic lows.
This is the result of a historically fast recovery, as well as actions to navigate adverse shocks. Over the past
year, the Biden Administration acted decisively in response to stress in the banking sector to protect
depositors and mitigate systemic risks to the financial system. The Administration continues to vigilantly
monitor potential economic spillovers from global events, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the
conflict in the Middle East.
The Biden Administration also remains focused on growing our economy for the medium to long term. This
year, Americans are starting to see the results of the historic legislation passed in 2021 and 2022:
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. Public
dollars are now crowding in private investment, with companies announcing over $600 billion in clean
energy and manufacturing investments since the start of the Biden Administration and new jobs being
created in twenty-first century industries.
To further the government’s commitment to financial transparency and accountability, the annual Financial
Report of the United States Government lays out comprehensive data and analysis on our nation’s finances.
Here, you will find information on all aspects of the government’s current financial position, as well as
information on changes in the financial position during this fiscal year, and potential future changes.
It is my duty and pleasure to present the Fiscal Year 2023 Report to the American people.
This page is intentionally blank.
Contents
A Message from the Secretary of the Treasury
Executive Summary........................................................................................... 1
Management’s Discussion and Analysis .......................................................... 12
Statement of the Comptroller General of the United States .......................... 40
Financial Statements
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 50
Statement of Net Cost ........................................................................................ 57
Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Position ...................................... 59
Reconciliations of Net Operating Cost and Budget Deficit ............................... 61
Statements of Changes in Cash Balance from Budget and Other
Activities ........................................................................................................... 62
Balance Sheets ................................................................................................... 63
Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections..................................................... 64
Statements of Social Insurance .......................................................................... 65
Statement of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts ......................................... 68
Appendices
Appendix A: Reporting Entity ........................................................................... 208
Appendix B: Glossary of Acronyms.................................................................. 212
Results in Brief
The “Nation by the Numbers” table on the preceding page and the following summarize key metrics about
the federal government’s financial position for and during FY 2023:
• The budget deficit increased by $319.7 billion (23.2 percent) to $1.7 trillion and net operating cost
decreased by $753.8 billion (18.1 percent) to $3.4 trillion.
• Net operating cost decreased due largely to significant decreases in non-cash costs (including decreases in
losses stemming from changes in assumptions affecting cost and liability estimates for the government’s
employee and veteran benefits programs (which do not affect the current year deficit) and reestimates of
long-term student loan costs).
• The government’s gross costs of $7.7 trillion, less $539.5 billion in revenues earned for goods and
services provided to the public, plus $760.6 billion in net losses from changes in assumptions yields the
government’s net cost of $7.9 trillion, a decrease of $1.2 trillion (13.3 percent) from FY 2022.
• Tax and other revenues decreased by $460.3 billion to $4.5 trillion. Deducting these revenues from net
cost yields the federal government’s “bottom line” net operating cost of $3.4 trillion referenced above.
• Comparing total government assets of $5.4 trillion (including $1.7 trillion of loans receivable, net and
$1.2 trillion of PP&E) to total liabilities of $42.9 trillion (including $26.3 trillion in federal debt and
interest payable, and $14.3 trillion of federal employee and veteran benefits payable) yields a negative net
position of $37.5 trillion.
• The Statement of Long-Term Fiscal Projections (SLTFP) shows that the present value (PV) of total non-
interest spending, over the next 75 years, under current policy, is projected to exceed the PV of total
receipts by $73.2 trillion (total federal non-interest net expenditures from the table on the previous page).
• The debt-to-GDP ratio was approximately 97 percent at the end of FY 2023. Under current policy and
based on this report’s assumptions, it is projected to reach 531 percent by 2098. The projected continuous
rise of the debt-to-GDP ratio indicates that current policy is unsustainable.
• The Statement of Social Insurance (SOSI) shows that the PV of the government’s expenditures for Social
Security and Medicare Parts A, B and D, and other social insurance programs over 75 years is projected
to exceed social insurance revenues by about $78.4 trillion, a $2.5 trillion increase over 2022 social
insurance projections.
3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO THE 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
The government’s financial position and condition have traditionally been expressed through the Budget,
focusing on surpluses, deficits, and debt. However, this primarily cash-based discussion of the government’s net
outlays (deficit) or net receipts (surplus) tells only part of the story. The government’s accrual-based net position,
(the difference between its assets and liabilities, adjusted for unmatched transactions and balances), and its
“bottom line” net operating cost (the difference between its revenues and costs) are also key financial indicators.
The following includes brief discussions of some of the diminishing effects of the pandemic on the government’s
financial results for FY 2023. Please refer to Note 29—COVID-19 Activity and other disclosures in this Financial
Report, as well as in the individual entities’ financial statements for more information.
Chart 1 compares the government’s budget deficit (receipts vs. outlays) and net operating cost (revenues vs.
costs) for FYs 2019 - 2023. During FY 2023:
• A $456.8 billion decrease in receipts
more than offset a $137.1 billion
decrease in outlays resulting in a
$319.7 billion (23.2 percent) increase
in the budget deficit from $1.4 trillion
to $1.7 trillion.
• Net operating cost decreased $753.8
billion or 18.1 percent from $4.2
trillion to $3.4 trillion, due mostly to a
$1.2 trillion or 13.3 percent decrease
in net cost which more than offset a
$460.3 billion or 9.3 percent decrease
in tax and other revenues.
The $1.7 trillion difference between the
budget deficit and net operating cost for FY
2023 is primarily due to accrued costs (incurred but not necessarily paid) that are included in net operating cost,
but not the budget deficit. These are primarily actuarial costs related to federal employee and veteran benefits
programs, particularly at VA, DOD, and OPM. Other sources of differences include but are not limited to
decreases in taxes receivable, increases in advances and deferred revenue received by the federal government
from others, decreases in advances and prepayments made by the federal government.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO THE 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT 4
o SSA net costs increased $138.8 billion due largely to a 2.5 percent increase in the number of OASI
beneficiaries, combined with an 8.7 percent COLA provided to beneficiaries in 2023.
o Interest costs related to federal debt securities held by the public increased by $181.5 billion due
largely to increases in outstanding debt held by the public and the average interest rates, which were
offset by a decrease in inflation adjustments.
• The government deducts tax and other revenues from net cost (with some adjustments) to derive its FY
2023 “bottom line” net operating cost
of $3.4 trillion.
o From Chart 3, total government tax
and other revenues decreased by
$460.3 billion (9.3 percent) to
about $4.5 trillion for FY 2023 due
primarily to a decline in individual
income and tax withholdings and
corporate income taxes as well as
decreased deposits of earnings
from the Federal Reserve due to
increased interest rates.
o Together, individual income tax
and tax withholdings, and
corporate income taxes accounted
for about 91.4 percent of total tax
and other revenues in FY 2023. Other revenues include Federal Reserve earnings, excise taxes, and
customs duties.
missiles); and 3) stockpiles, or strategic and critical materials held due to statutory requirements for
use in national defense, conservation, or local/national emergencies.
o Loans receivable, net ($1.7 trillion) is comprised of loans provided by multiple agencies, including
Education and SBA, to promote the nation’s welfare by making financing available to segments of the
population not served adequately by non-federal institutions or otherwise providing for certain
activities or investments. The government’s net loan portfolio increased by $261.0 billion (18.2
percent) during FY 2023. This net increase was largely due to a $214.3 billion increase in Education’s
Federal Direct Student Loans, net, primarily due to a reversal of the broad-based student loan debt
relief as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Biden v. Nebraska. Additional Loans Receivable, net
increases included Treasury’s purchase of a $50 billion note issued by a trust created by FDIC in its
receivership capacity and backed by a guarantee from the FDIC in its corporate capacity. These and
other net increases were partially offset by a $49.6 billion decrease in SBA’s loan receivables, net, due
largely to write-offs of direct disaster loans. Other changes included fluctuations in loan programs for
HUD, DOT, and DFC.
o Federal government general PP&E includes many of the physical resources that are vital to the federal
government’s ongoing operations, including buildings, structures, facilities, equipment, internal use
software, and general-purpose land. DOD comprises approximately 67.4 percent of the government’s
reported general PP&E of $1.2 trillion as of September 30, 2023.
o Other significant government resources not reported on the Balance Sheet include the government’s
power to tax and set monetary policy, natural resources, and stewardship assets. Stewardship assets,
including heritage assets and stewardship land, benefit the nation (e.g., national monuments, national
parks) and are intended to be held indefinitely.
• Total liabilities ($42.9 trillion) consist mostly of: 1) $26.3 trillion in federal debt and interest payable; and
2) $14.3 trillion in federal employee and veteran benefits payable.
o Federal debt held by the public is debt held outside of the government by individuals, corporations,
state and local governments, the FR System, foreign governments, and other non-federal entities.
o The government borrows from the public (increases federal debt levels) to finance deficits. During FY
2023, federal debt held by the public increased $2.0 trillion (8.3 percent) to $26.3 trillion.
o The government also reports about $6.9 trillion of intra-governmental debt outstanding, which arises
when one part of the government borrows from another. For example, government funds (e.g., Social
Security and Medicare Trust Funds) typically must invest excess receipts, including interest earnings,
in Treasury-issued federal debt securities. Although not reflected in Chart 4, these securities are
included in the calculation of federal debt subject to the debt limit.
o Federal debt held by the public plus intra-governmental debt equals gross federal debt, which, with
some adjustments, is subject to a statutory debt ceiling (“debt limit”). Congress and the President
increased the debt limit by $2.5 trillion in December 2021 with the enactment of P.L. 117-73. In
response to delays in raising the statutory debt limit, Treasury took extraordinary measures to meet the
government’s obligations as they came due without exceeding the debt limit from January 19 through
June 2, 2023. On June 3, 2023, P.L. 118-5 was enacted, suspending the debt limit through January 1,
2025. On Monday, June 5, 2023, Treasury discontinued its use of extraordinary measures and resumed
normal debt management operations. At the end of FY 2023, debt subject to the statutory limit was
$33.1 trillion. Increasing or suspending the debt limit does not increase spending or authorize new
spending; rather, it permits the government to continue to honor pre-existing commitments (see Note
12—Federal Debt and Interest Payable).
o Federal employee and veteran benefits payable ($14.3 trillion) represents the amounts of benefits
payable by agencies that administer the government’s pension and other benefit plans for its military
and civilian employees.
See Note 29—COVID-19 Activity, as well as the referenced agencies’ FY 2023 financial statements for
additional information about the financial effects of the federal government’s response to the pandemic. See Note
7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO THE 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
30—Subsequent Events for information about events that occurred after the end of the fiscal year that may affect
the government’s financial results.
An important purpose of this Financial Report is to help citizens understand current fiscal policy and the
importance and magnitude of policy reforms necessary to make it sustainable. A sustainable fiscal policy is
defined as one where the ratio of debt held by the public to GDP (the debt-to-GDP ratio) is stable or declining
over the long term. GDP measures the size of the nation’s economy in terms of the total value of all final goods
and services that are produced in a year. Considering financial results relative to GDP is a useful indicator of the
economy’s capacity to sustain the government’s many programs. This Financial Report presents data, including
debt, as a percent of GDP to help readers assess whether current fiscal policy is sustainable. The debt-to-GDP
ratio was approximately 97 percent at the end of FY 2023, which is similar to (but slightly above) the debt-to-
GDP ratio at the end of FY 2022. The long-term fiscal projections in this Financial Report are based on the same
economic and demographic assumptions that underlie the SOSI.
The current fiscal path is unsustainable. To determine if current fiscal policy is sustainable, the projections
based on the assumptions discussed in the Financial Report assume current policy will continue indefinitely. 1 The
projections are therefore neither forecasts nor predictions. Nevertheless, the projections demonstrate that policy
changes need to be enacted for the actual financial outcomes to differ from those projected.
1
Current policy in the projections is based on current law, but includes extension of certain policies that expire under current law but are routinely extended
or otherwise expected to continue.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO THE 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT 8
• The persistent long-term gap between projected receipts and total spending shown in Chart 5 occurs
despite the projected effects of the PPACA 2 on long-term deficits.
o Enactment of the PPACA in 2010 and the MACRA (P.L. 114-10) in 2015 established cost controls for
Medicare hospital and physician payments whose long-term effectiveness is still to be demonstrated
fully.
o There is uncertainty about the extent to which these projections can be achieved and whether the
PPACA’s provisions intended to reduce Medicare cost growth will be overridden by new legislation.
Table 1 summarizes the status and projected trends of the government’s Social Security and Medicare Trust
Funds.
The primary deficit projections in Chart 5, along with those for interest rates and GDP, determine the debt-
to-GDP ratio projections in Chart 6.
• The debt-to-GDP ratio was
approximately 97 percent at the
end of FY 2023, and under
current policy and based on this
report’s assumptions is projected
to reach 531 percent in 2098.
• The debt-to-GDP ratio rises
continuously in great part because
primary deficits lead to higher
levels of debt. The continuous
rise of the debt-to-GDP ratio
indicates that current fiscal policy
is unsustainable.
• These debt-to-GDP projections
are lower than both the 2022 and
2021 Financial Report
projections.
2
The PPACA refers to P.L. 111-148, as amended by P.L. 111-152. The PPACA expands health insurance coverage, provides health insurance subsidies for
low-income individuals and families, includes many measures designed to reduce health care cost growth, and significantly reduces Medicare payment rate
updates relative to the rates that would have occurred in the absence of the PPACA. (See Note 25 and the RSI section of the Financial Report, and the 2023
Medicare Trustees Report for additional information).
9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO THE 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
The Fiscal Gap and the Cost of Delaying Fiscal Policy Reform
• The 75-year fiscal gap is a measure of how much primary deficits must be reduced over the next 75 years
in order to make fiscal policy sustainable. That estimated fiscal gap for 2023 is 4.5 percent of GDP
(compared to 4.9 percent for 2022).
• This estimate implies that making fiscal policy sustainable over the next 75 years would require some
combination of spending reductions and receipt increases that equals 4.5 percent of GDP on average over
the next 75 years. The fiscal gap represents 23.8 percent of 75-year PV receipts and 19.8 percent of 75-
year PV non-interest spending.
• The timing of policy changes to make fiscal policy sustainable has important implications for the well-
being of future generations as is shown in Table 2.
o Table 2 shows that, if reform begins in 2034 or 2044, the estimated magnitude of primary surplus
increases necessary to close the 75-year fiscal gap is 5.3 percent and 6.5 percent of GDP, respectively.
The difference between the primary surplus increase necessary if reform begins in 2034 or 2044 and
the increase necessary if reform begins in 2024, an additional 0.8 and 2.0 percentage points,
respectively, is a measure of the additional burden policy delay would impose on future generations.
o The longer policy action to close the fiscal gap is delayed, the larger the post-reform primary surpluses
must be to achieve the target debt-to-GDP ratio at the end of the 75-year period. Future generations are
harmed by a policy delay because the higher the primary surpluses are during their lifetimes, the
greater is the difference between the taxes they pay and the programmatic spending from which they
benefit.
Conclusion
• Projections in the Financial Report indicate that the government’s debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to rise
over the 75-year projection period and beyond if current policy is kept in place. The projections in this
Financial Report show that current policy is not sustainable.
• If changes in fiscal policy are not so abrupt as to slow economic growth and those policy changes are
adopted earlier, then the required changes to revenue and/or spending will be smaller to return the
government to a sustainable fiscal path.
As stated in Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad “the United States and
the world face a profound climate crisis…Domestic action must go hand in hand with United States international
leadership, aimed at significantly enhancing global action.” In response, the administration has enacted key
legislation and issued important policy actions. As summarized in the MD&A section of the Financial Report,
many of the 24 CFO Act agencies have leveraged their FY 2023 financial statements to discuss a wide range of
topics concerning how their agencies are responding to the climate crisis, including providing links to agency
Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plans.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO THE 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT 10
The FY 2023 Financial Report and other information about the nation’s finances are available at:
• Treasury, https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/fsreports/rpt/finrep/fr/fr_index.htm and
https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/;
• OMB’s Office of Federal Financial Management, https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/management/office-
federal-financial-management/; and
• GAO, https://www.gao.gov/federal-financial-accountability.
The GAO audit report on the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements can be found beginning on page 218
of the full Financial Report. GAO was unable to express an opinion (disclaimed) on these consolidated financial
statements for the reasons discussed in the audit report.
11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TO THE 2023 FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
1
The Government Management Reform Act of 1994 has required such reporting, covering the executive branch of the government, beginning with financial
statements prepared for FY 1997. The consolidated financial statements include the legislative and judicial branches.
2
The 32 entities include the HHS, which received disclaimers of opinion on its 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 SOSI and on its 2023 and 2022 SCSIA.
13 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Exhibit 1
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
THE CONSTITUTION
Table 1 on the previous page and the following summarize the federal government’s financial position:
• This Financial Report includes discussion and analysis of the effects that the federal government’s response to the
COVID-19 pandemic continued to have on the government’s financial position during FY 2023.
• During FY 2023, the budget deficit increased by $319.7 billion (23.2 percent) to $1.7 trillion. However, net
operating cost decreased by $753.8 billion (18.1 percent) to $3.4 trillion.
• Net operating cost decreased due largely to significant decreases in non-cash costs (including decreases in losses
stemming from changes in assumptions affecting cost and liability estimates for the government’s employee and
veteran benefits programs (which do not affect the current year deficit), and reestimates of long-term student loan
costs).
• The government’s gross costs of $7.7 trillion, less $539.5 billion in revenues earned for goods and services provided
to the public (e.g., Medicare premiums, national park entry fees, and postal service fees), plus $760.6 billion in net
losses from changes in assumptions (e.g., interest rates, inflation, disability claims rates) yields the government’s net
cost of $7.9 trillion, a decrease of $1.2 trillion or 13.3 percent compared to FY 2022.
• Total tax and other revenues decreased $460.3 billion to $4.5 trillion. Deducting these revenues from net cost results
in a “bottom line” net operating cost of $3.4 trillion for FY 2023, a decrease of $753.8 billion or 18.1 percent
compared to FY 2022.
• Comparing total FY 2023 government assets of $5.4 trillion (including $1.7 trillion of loans receivable, net and $1.2
trillion of PP&E) to total liabilities of $42.9 trillion (including $26.3 trillion in federal debt and interest payable 3,
and $14.3 trillion of federal employee and veteran benefits payable) yields a negative net position of $37.5 trillion.
• The budget deficit is primarily financed through borrowing from the public. As of September 30, 2023, debt held by
the public, excluding accrued interest, was $26.3 trillion. This amount, plus intra-governmental debt ($6.9 trillion)
equals gross federal debt, which, with some adjustments, is subject to the statutory debt limit. As of September 30,
2023, the government’s total debt subject to the debt limit was $33.1 trillion. Congress and the President increased
the debt limit by $480.0 billion in October 2021 and by $2.5 trillion in December 2021. On June 3, 2023, P.L. 118-5
was enacted, suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025.
This Financial Report also contains information about projected impacts on the government’s future financial condition.
Under federal accounting rules, social insurance amounts as reported in both the SLTFP and in the SOSI are not considered
liabilities of the government. From Table 1:
• The SLTFP shows that the PV 4 of total non-interest spending, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid,
defense, and education, etc., over the next 75 years, under current policy, is projected to exceed the PV of total
receipts by $73.2 trillion (total federal non-interest net expenditures from Table 1).
• The SOSI shows that the PV of the government’s expenditures for Social Security and Medicare Parts A, B and D,
and other social insurance programs over 75 years is projected to exceed social insurance revenues 5 by about $78.4
trillion, a $2.5 trillion increase over 2022 social insurance projections.
• The Social Insurance and Total Federal Non-Interest Net Expenditures measures in Table 1 differ primarily because
total non-interest net expenditures from the SLTFP include the effects of general revenues and non-social insurance
spending, neither of which is included in the SOSI.
The government’s current financial position and long-term financial condition can be evaluated both in dollar terms and
in relation to the economy. GDP is a measure of the size of the nation’s economy in terms of the total value of all final goods
and services that are produced in a year. Considering financial results relative to GDP is a useful indicator of the economy’s
capacity to sustain the government’s many programs. For example:
• The budget deficit increased from $1.4 trillion in FY 2022 to $1.7 trillion in FY 2023. The deficit-to-GDP ratio also
increased from 5.4 percent in FY 2022 to 6.3 percent in 2023.
• The budget deficit is primarily financed through borrowing from the public. As of September 30, 2023, the $26.3
trillion in debt held by the public, excluding accrued interest, equates to 97 percent of GDP.
• The 2023 SOSI projection of $78.4 trillion net PV excess of expenditures over receipts over 75 years represents
about 4.4 percent of the PV of GDP over 75 years. The excess of total projected non-interest spending over receipts
of $73.2 trillion from the SLTFP represents 3.8 percent of GDP over 75 years. As discussed in this Financial
Report, changes in these projections can, in turn, have a significant impact on projected debt as a percent of GDP.
• To prevent the debt-to-GDP ratio from rising over the next 75 years, a combination of non-interest spending
reductions and receipts increases that amounts to 4.5 percent of GDP on average is needed (4.9 percent of GDP on
3
On the government’s Balance Sheet, federal debt and interest payable consists of Treasury securities, net of unamortized discounts and premiums, and
accrued interest payable. The “public” consists of individuals, corporations, state and local governments, FRB, foreign governments, and other entities
outside the federal government.
4
PVs recognize that a dollar paid or collected in the future is worth less than a dollar today because a dollar today could be invested and earn interest. To
calculate a PV, future amounts are thus reduced using an assumed interest rate, and those reduced amounts are summed.
5
Social Security is funded by the payroll taxes and revenue from taxation of benefits. Medicare Part A is funded by the payroll taxes, revenue from taxation
of benefits, and premiums that support those programs. Medicare Parts B and D are primarily financed by transfers from the General Fund, which are
presented, and by accounting convention, eliminated in the SOSI. For the FYs 2023 and 2022 SOSI, the amounts eliminated totaled $48.5 trillion and $47.5
trillion, respectively. In addition, the SOSI programs include DOL’s Black Lung Program, the projection period for which is 40 years.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 16
average in the 2022 projections). The fiscal gap in the 2023 projections represents 23.8 percent of 75-year PV
receipts and 19.8 percent of 75-year PV non-interest spending.
6
The 19 entities include the HHS, which received disclaimers of opinions on its 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 SOSI and its 2023 and 2022 SCSIA. The
13 entities include the FDIC, the NCUA, and the FCSIC, which operate on a calendar year basis (December 31 year-end). Statistic reflects 2022 audit results
for these organizations if 2023 results are not available.
7
See Note 23—Fiduciary Activities.
8
Under GAAP, most U.S. government revenues are recognized on a ‘modified cash’ basis, (see Financial Statement Note 1.B). The SOSI presents the PV of
the estimated future revenues and expenditures for scheduled benefits over the next 75 years for the Social Security, Medicare, RRP; and 25 years for the
Black Lung program. The SLTFP presents the 75-year PV of the projected future receipts and non-interest spending for the federal government.
17 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
9
Interest outlays on Treasury debt held by the public are recorded in the Budget when interest accrues, not when the interest payment is made. For federal
credit programs, outlays are recorded when loans are disbursed, in an amount representing the PV cost to the government, commonly referred to as credit
subsidy cost. Credit subsidy cost excludes administrative costs.
10
10/20/23 press release – Joint Statement of Janet L. Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury, and Shalanda D. Young, Director of the Office of Management and
Budget, on Budget Results for Fiscal Year 2023. Note that some amounts in this Financial Report reflect updates subsequent to publication of the press
release.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 18
Treasury’s September 2023 MTS provides fiscal year-end receipts, spending, and deficit information for this Financial
Report. The MTS presents primarily cash-based spending, or outlays, for the fiscal year in a number of ways, including by
month, by entity, and by budget function classification. The Budget is divided into approximately 20 categories, or budget
functions, as a means of organizing federal spending by primary purpose (e.g., National Defense, Transportation, and
Health). Multiple entities may contribute to one or more budget functions, and a single budget function may be associated
with only one entity. For example, DOD, DHS, DOE, and multiple other entities administer programs that are critical to the
broader functional classification of National Defense. DOD, OPM, and many other entities also administer Income Security
programs (e.g., retirement benefits, housing, financial assistance). By comparison, the Medicare program is a budget function
category unto itself and is administered exclusively at the federal level by HHS. Federal spending information by budget
function and other categorizations may be found in the September 2023 MTS. 11
The government’s largely accrual-based net operating cost decreased by $753.8 billion (18.1 percent) to $3.4 trillion
during FY 2023. As discussed in this Financial Report, as the deficit is affected by changes in both receipts and outlays, so
too are the government’s net operating costs affected by changes in both revenues and costs.
The Reconciliation of Net Operating Cost and Budget Deficit statement articulates the relationship between the
government’s accrual-based net operating cost and the primarily cash-based budget deficit. The difference between the
government’s budget deficit and net operating cost is typically impacted by many variables. For example, from Table 2, 88
percent of the $1.7 trillion net difference for FY 2023 is attributable to a $1.5 trillion net increase in liabilities for federal
employee and veteran benefits payable (see Note 13—Federal Employee and Veteran Benefits Payable). Other differences
include: 1) a $108.1 billion increase in advances from others and deferred revenue (see Note 17—Advances from Others and
Deferred Revenue); 2) a $55.0 billion decrease in net taxes receivable (see Note 3—Accounts Receivable, Net); and 3) a
$45.4 billion decrease in advances and prepayments made by the federal government (see Note 9—Advances and
Prepayments).
11
Final MTS for FY 2023 through September 30, 2023 and Other Periods.
19 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
of goods produced and services rendered by the government; 2) the earned revenues generated by those goods and services
during the fiscal year; and 3) gains or losses from changes in actuarial assumptions used to estimate certain liabilities. This
amount, in turn, is offset against the government’s taxes and other revenue reported in the Statement of Operations and
Changes in Net Position to calculate the “bottom line” or net operating cost.
Table 3 shows that the government’s “bottom line” net operating cost decreased $753.8 billion (18.1 percent) during
2023 from $4.2 trillion to $3.4 trillion. This decrease is due mostly to a $1.2 trillion (13.3 percent) decrease in net costs,
which more than offset a $460.3 billion (9.3 percent) decrease in tax and other revenues over the past fiscal year as discussed
in the following.
Gross Cost and Net Cost
The FY 2023 Statement of Net Cost starts with the government’s total gross costs of $7.7 trillion, subtracts $539.5
billion in revenues earned for goods and services provided (e.g., Medicare premiums, national park entry fees, and postal
service fees), and adjusts the balance for gains or losses from changes in actuarial assumptions used to estimate certain
liabilities ($760.6 billion loss), including federal employee and veteran benefits to derive its net cost of $7.9 trillion, a $1.2
trillion (13.3 percent) decrease compared to FY 2022.
Typically, the annual change in the government’s net cost is the result of a variety of offsetting increases and decreases
across entities. Offsetting changes in federal entity net cost during FY 2023 included:
• Entities administering federal employee and veteran benefits programs employ a complex series of assumptions,
including but not limited to interest rates,
beneficiary eligibility, life expectancy, and
medical cost levels, to make actuarial
projections of their long-term benefits
liabilities. Changes in these assumptions
can result in either losses (net cost
increases) or gains (net cost decreases).
Across the government, these net losses
from changes in assumptions amounted to
$760.6 billion in FY 2023, a net loss (and
a corresponding net cost) decrease of $1.4
trillion compared to FY 2022. The primary
entities that administer programs impacted
by these assumptions – typically federal
employee pension and benefit programs –
are the VA, DOD, and OPM. All three of
these entities recorded losses from
changes in assumptions in the amounts of
$111.9 billion, $89.3 billion, and $558.8 billion, respectively. These actuarial estimates and the resulting gains or
losses from changes in assumptions can sometimes cause significant swings in total entity costs from year to year.
For example, for FY 2023, net cost decreases at OPM ($88.5 billion), DOD ($455.6 billion), and VA ($479.6
billion) were significantly impacted by the decreases in losses from assumption changes at these entities.
• A $479.6 billion decrease in VA net cost was impacted largely by a $967.7 billion decrease in losses from changes
in assumptions as referenced above, partially offset by an increase in costs as a result of legislation expanding and
extending the eligibility for veteran's benefits.
• The $455.6 billion decrease in DOD net cost is primarily due to a $437.7 billion decrease in losses from changes in
assumptions referenced above. While losses from changes in assumptions represented the largest decrease, the
majority (more than 80 percent) of DOD costs are attributable to a wide range of functions, including military
operations, readiness, and support; procurement; military personnel; and R&D.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 20
• The $222.7 billion decrease in Treasury net costs is largely due to a decrease in costs associated with Treasury’s
pandemic relief programs. As discussed in Note 29—COVID-19 Activity, Treasury’s net costs related to COVID-19
relief efforts decreased $105.5 billion, from $164.4 billion to $58.9 billion, during FY 2023, mainly attributed to a
reduction in the estimated amount of eligible costs incurred by state and local, territorial, and tribal program
recipients of Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. In addition, Treasury gross costs reported in this
Financial Report reflect a decrease in COVID-19 related refunds and other payments, such as EIP and advances for
child tax credits, from $89.2 billion to $53.4 billion.
• A $521.0 billion decrease at
Education, due largely to the combined
effect of: 1) the announced broad-
based student loan debt relief in
continued response to the pandemic to
help borrowers at highest risk of
delinquencies or default once
payments resumed; and 2) the reversal
of the announced broad-based student
loan debt relief as a result of the
Supreme Court’s ruling in Biden v.
Nebraska. The combined effect on
Education’s net cost was: 1) an FY
2022 cost increase of $330.9 billion,
due largely to a $337.3 billon upward
cost modification to its direct loan
program stemming from the
announced broad-based relief; and 2) a
$319.9 billion downward cost
modification in FY 2023 related to the
student loan debt relief. Education’s FY 2023 costs were also impacted by: 1) a $71.4 billion upward loan reestimate
of the costs of its existing loan portfolio; and 2) $115.7 billion in upward modifications related to COVID-19
administrative actions, changes to repayment plans, and other programmatic changes.
• A $54.1 billion net cost increase at HHS was primarily due to $116.1 billion across the Medicare and Medicaid
benefit programs largely associated with increasing benefits. Notably, Medicare HI costs increased due to increases
in HI benefit expenses of $26.6 billion and contingent liability of $10.4 billion. Medicaid benefit expense increased
$19.1 billion from higher grant awards to the states due to the continuation of the COVID-19 relief, offset by $1.1
billion decrease in contingent liability expenses for the state plan amendments. HHS also experienced a $62.0 billion
decrease across all other HHS segments primarily due to decreased COVID-19 costs.
• A $138.8 billion increase at SSA, due to a 2.5 percent increase in the number of OASI beneficiaries, and the 8.7
percent COLA provided to beneficiaries in 2023. The OASI, DI, and SSI net cost increased by 12.0 percent, 6.0
percent, and 0.1 percent respectively. Total benefit expenses increased by $137.8 billion or 10.8 percent.
• A $181.5 billion increase in interest on debt held by the public primarily attributable to an increase in the
outstanding debt held by the public and an increase in the average interest rates, which were partially offset by a
decrease in inflation adjustments.
Chart 2 shows the composition of the government’s net cost for FY 2023, and Chart 3 shows the five-year trend in the
largest agency cost components. In FY 2023, approximately 87 percent of the federal government’s total net cost came from
only six agencies (HHS, VA, SSA, DOD, Treasury, USDA), and interest on the debt. The other 150-plus entities included in
the government’s FY 2023 Statement of Net Cost accounted for a combined 13 percent of the government’s total net cost for
FY 2023. HHS and SSA net costs for FY 2023 ($1.7 trillion and $1.4 trillion, respectively) are largely attributable to major
social insurance programs administered by these entities. VA net costs of $1.5 trillion support health, education and other
benefits programs for our nation’s veterans. DOD net costs of $1.0 trillion relate primarily to operations, readiness, and
support; personnel; research; procurement; and retirement and health benefits. Treasury net costs of $303.7 billion support a
broad array of programs that promote conditions for sustaining economic growth and stability, protecting the integrity of our
nation’s financial system, and effectively managing the U.S. government’s finances and resources. USDA net costs of $226.3
billion support a wide range of programs that provide effective, innovative, science-based public policy leadership in
agriculture, food and nutrition, natural resource protection and management, rural development, and related issues with a
commitment to deliver equitable and climate-smart opportunities that inspire and help America thrive.
21 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
12
As shown in Table 4, the government’s Balance Sheet includes an adjustment for unmatched transactions and balances, which represent unresolved
differences in intra-governmental activity and balances between federal entities. These amounts are described in greater detail in the Other Information
section of this Financial Report.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 22
Assets
From Table 4, as of September 30, 2023, more than three-fourths of the government’s $5.4 trillion in reported assets is
comprised of: 1) cash and other monetary assets ($922.2 billion); 2) inventory and related property, net ($423.0 billion); 3)
loans receivable, net ($1.7 trillion); and 4) net PP&E ($1.2 trillion). 13 Chart 5 compares the balances of these and other
Balance Sheet amounts as of September 30, 2023, and 2022.
Cash and other monetary assets ($922.2 billion) is comprised largely of the operating cash of the U.S. government.
Operating cash held by Treasury, which represents balances from tax collections, federal debt receipts, and other various
receipts net of cash outflows for federal debt repayments and other payments, increased $21.9 billion (3.5 percent) to $638.9
billion (see Note 2—Cash and Other Monetary Assets).
Inventory and related property is comprised of inventory; OM&S; stockpile materials; commodities; and seized,
forfeited, and foreclosed property. Inventory is tangible personal property that is either held for sale, in the process of
production for sale, or to be consumed in the production of goods for sale or in the provision of services for a fee (e.g., raw
materials, finished goods, spare and repair parts, clothing and textiles, and fuels). OM&S consists of tangible personal
property to be consumed in normal operations (e.g., spare and repair parts, ammunition, and tactical missiles). Stockpile
materials are strategic and critical materials held due to statutory requirements for use in national defense, conservation, or
local/national emergencies. Contributing agencies include DOD, DOE, Treasury, DHS, and HHS (see Note 5—Inventory and
Related Property, Net).
13
For financial reporting purposes, other than multi-use heritage assets, stewardship assets of the government are not recorded as part of PP&E. Stewardship
assets are comprised of stewardship land and heritage assets. Stewardship land primarily consists of public domain land (e.g., national parks, wildlife
refuges). Heritage assets include national monuments and historical sites that among other characteristics are of historical, natural, cultural, educational, or
artistic significance. See Note 26—Stewardship Property, Plant, and Equipment.
23 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
The federal government’s direct loans and loan guarantee programs are used to promote the nation’s welfare by making
financing available to segments of the
population not served adequately by
non-federal institutions, or otherwise
providing for certain activities or
investments. For those unable to afford
credit at the market rate, federal credit
programs provide subsidies in the form
of direct loans offered at an interest
rate lower than the market rate. For
those to whom non-federal financial
institutions are reluctant to grant credit
because of the high risk involved,
federal credit programs guarantee the
payment of these non-federal loans and
absorb the cost of defaults. For
example, Education supports
individuals engaged in education
programs through a variety of student
loan, grant and other assistance programs. USDA administers loan programs to support the nation’s farming and agriculture
community. HUD loan programs support affordable homeownership, as well as the construction and rehabilitation of housing
projects for the elderly and persons with disabilities. SBA loan programs enable the establishment and vitality of small
businesses and assist in the economic recovery of communities after disasters. Loans receivable consists primarily of direct
loans disbursed by the government, receivables related to guaranteed loans that have defaulted, and certain receivables for
guaranteed loans that the government has purchased from lenders. The federal government’s direct loan portfolio increased
by $261.0 billion (18.2 percent) to $1.7 trillion during FY 2023, with Education and SBA together accounting for more than
three-fourths of the total.
Loan guarantee programs are another form of federal lending. For those to whom non-federal financial institutions are
reluctant to grant credit because of the high risk involved, federal credit programs guarantee the payment of these non-federal
loans and absorb the cost of defaults. Significant changes to the federal government’s loans receivable, net, and loan
guarantee liabilities, as discussed in Note 4, include:
• Education has loan programs that are authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The William D.
Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (referred to as the Direct Loan Program), was established in FY 1994 and offers
four types of educational loans: Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students, and
consolidation loans. Education’s net loans receivable for its Direct Loan Program increased from $816.6 billion to
$1.0 trillion (60.8 percent of total loans receivable, net). This increase was largely due to the reversal of the broad-
based student loan debt relief as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Biden v. Nebraska. Education had
announced the broad-based relief during FY 2022 to address the financial harms of the pandemic by smoothing the
transition back to repayment and helping borrowers at highest risk of delinquencies or default once payments
resumed. In addition, all federal wage garnishments and collections actions for borrowers with federally held loans
in default were halted.
• Treasury purchased a $50 billion note issued by a trust created by FDIC in its receivership capacity and backed by a
guarantee from the FDIC in its corporate capacity.
• SBA makes loans to microloan intermediaries and provides a direct loan program that assists homeowners, renters
and businesses recover from disasters. SBA’s Disaster Assistance Loan Program makes direct loans to disaster
survivors under four categories: 1) physical disaster loans to repair or replace damaged homes and personal
property; 2) physical disaster loans to businesses of any size; 3) EIDLs to eligible small business and nonprofit
organizations without credit available elsewhere; and 4) economic injury loans to eligible small businesses affected
by essential employees called up to active duty in the military reserves. In FY 2023 SBA’s credit program
receivables decreased by $49.6 billion from FY 2022 due largely to write-offs of direct disaster loans.
• Fluctuations in loan programs for HUD, DOT, and DFC.
Federal government general PP&E includes many of the physical resources that are vital to the federal government’s
ongoing operations, including buildings, structures, facilities, equipment, internal use software, and general-purpose land.
DOD comprises approximately 67.4 percent of the government’s reported general PP&E of $1.2 trillion as of September 30,
2023. See Note 6—General Property, Plant, and Equipment, Net.
“Other” assets of $1.1 trillion in Table 4 and Chart 5 includes: 1) $319.9 billion in accounts receivable, net; 2) $252.7
billion in “Advances and Prepayments”; and 3) $240.4 billion in investments in GSEs. Treasury comprises approximately
57.7 percent of the government’s reported accounts receivable, net, mostly in the form of reported taxes receivable, which
consist of unpaid assessments due from taxpayers, unpaid taxes related to IRC section 965, and deferred payments for
employer’s share of FICA taxes pursuant to the CARES Act. Taxes receivable, net, decreased by $55.0 billion during FY
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 24
2023, primarily due to the reduction in IRC 965(h) and to payments to Treasury of the deferred employer portion of FICA
Social Security taxes. (See Note 3—Accounts Receivable, Net). Advances and Prepayments represent funds disbursed in
contemplation of the future performance of services, receipt of goods, the incurrence of expenditures, or the receipt of other
assets. The $45.4 billion decrease in this amount was largely attributable to a reduction in the estimated amount of eligible
costs incurred by state, local, territorial, and tribal governments pursuant COVID-19 legislation (See Note 9—Advances and
Prepayments). Investments in GSEs refers to actions taken by Treasury in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to maintain
the solvency of the GSEs (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) so they can continue to fulfill their vital roles in the mortgage
market while the administration and Congress determine what structural changes should be made to the housing finance
system. (See Note 8—Investment in Government-Sponsored Enterprises).
Liabilities
As indicated in Table 4 and Chart 6, of the
government’s $42.9 trillion in total liabilities, the
largest liability is federal debt and interest payable,
the balance of which increased by $2.0 trillion (8.3
percent) to $26.3 trillion as of September 30, 2023.
The other major component of the
government’s liabilities is federal employee and
veteran benefits payable (i.e., the government’s
pension and other benefit plans for its military and
civilian employees), which increased $1.5 trillion
(11.8 percent) during FY 2023, to about $14.3
trillion. This total amount is comprised of $3.3
trillion in benefits payable for the current and
retired civilian workforce, and $11.1 trillion for the
military and veterans. OPM administers the largest
civilian pension plan, covering nearly 2.8 million
active employees, including the Postal Service, and
more than 2.7 million annuitants, including
survivors. The DOD military pension plan covers
about 2.1 million current military personnel (including active service, reserve, and National Guard) and approximately 2.4
million retirees and survivors.
Federal Debt
The budget surplus or deficit is the difference between total federal spending and receipts (e.g., taxes) in a given year.
The government borrows from the public (increases federal debt levels) to finance deficits. During a budget surplus (i.e.,
when receipts exceed spending), the government typically uses those excess funds to reduce the debt held by the public. The
Statement of Changes in Cash Balance from Budget and Other Activities reports how the annual budget surplus or deficit
relates to the federal
government’s borrowing and Prior to 1917, Congress approved each debt issuance. In 1917, to facilitate planning
changes in cash and other in World War I, Congress and the President established a dollar ceiling for federal
monetary assets. It also explains borrowing. With the Public Debt Act of 1941 (P.L. 77-7), Congress and the
how a budget surplus or deficit President set an overall limit of $65 billion on Treasury debt obligations that could
normally affects changes in debt be outstanding at any one time. Since then, Congress and the President have enacted
balances. a number of measures affecting the debt limit, including several in recent years.
The government’s federal Congress and the President most recently suspended the debt limit from June 3,
debt and interest payable 2023 through January 1, 2025. It is important to note that increasing or suspending
(Balance Sheet liability), which the debt limit does not increase spending or authorize new spending; rather, it
is comprised of publicly-held permits the U.S. to continue to honor pre-existing commitments to its citizens,
debt and accrued interest businesses, and investors domestically and around the world.
payable, increased $2.0 trillion
(8.3 percent) to $26.3 trillion as of September 30, 2023. It is comprised of Treasury securities, such as bills, notes, and bonds,
net of unamortized discounts and premiums issued or sold to the public; and accrued interest payable. The “public” consists
of individuals, corporations, state and local governments, FRB, foreign governments, and other entities outside the federal
government. As indicated above, budget surpluses have typically resulted in borrowing reductions, and budget deficits have
conversely yielded borrowing increases. However, the government’s debt operations are generally much more complex. Each
year, trillions of dollars of debt matures and new debt is issued to take its place. In FY 2023, new borrowings were $20.2
trillion, and repayments of maturing debt held by the public were $18.2 trillion, both increases over FY 2022. The $2.0
trillion increase in publicly held debt and accrued interest payable is largely attributable to the need to finance the
government’s operations.
25 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
In addition to debt held by the public, the government has about $6.9 trillion in intra-governmental debt outstanding,
which arises when one part of the government borrows from another. It represents debt issued by Treasury and held by
government accounts, including the Social Security ($2.8 trillion) and Medicare ($353.9 billion) Trust Funds. Intra-
governmental debt is primarily held in government trust funds in the form of special nonmarketable securities by various
parts of the government. Laws establishing government trust funds generally require excess trust fund receipts (including
interest earnings) over disbursements to be invested in these special securities. Because these amounts are both liabilities of
Treasury and assets of the government trust funds, they are eliminated as part of the consolidation process for the
government-wide financial statements (see Financial Statement Note 12). When those securities are redeemed, e.g., to pay
Social Security benefits, the government must obtain the resources necessary to reimburse the trust funds. The sum of debt
held by the public and intra-governmental debt equals gross federal debt, which (with some adjustments), is subject to a
statutory ceiling (i.e., the debt limit). Note that when intra-governmental debt decreases, debt held by the public will increase
by an equal amount (if the general account of the U.S. government is in deficit), so that there is no net effect on gross federal
debt. At the end of FY 2023, debt subject to the statutory limit was $33.1 trillion. 14
The federal debt held by the public measured as a percent of GDP (debt-to-GDP ratio) (Chart 7) compares the country’s
debt to the size of its economy, making this
measure sensitive to changes in both. Over time,
the debt-to-GDP ratio has varied widely:
• For most of the nation’s history,
through the first half of the 20th century,
the debt-to-GDP ratio has tended to
increase during wartime and decline
during peacetime.
• Chart 7 shows that wartime spending
and borrowing pushed the debt-to-GDP
ratio to an all-time high of 106 percent
in 1946, soon after the end of World
War II, but it decreased rapidly in the
post-war years.
• The ratio grew rapidly from the mid-
1970s until the early 1990s. Strong
economic growth and fundamental
fiscal decisions, including measures to
reduce the federal deficit and
implementation of binding PAYGO
rules (which require that new tax or
spending laws not add to the deficit), generated a significant decline in the debt-to-GDP ratio, from a peak of 48
percent in FYs 1993-1995, to 31 percent in 2001.
• The debt-to-GDP ratio rose significantly in 2008-2009 during the financial crisis and again in 2020-2021 during the
pandemic reflecting the government’s responses to both events and the resulting significant spending and deficit
increases, as well as the economic challenges experienced during both periods.
• During the first decade of the 21st century, PAYGO rules were allowed to lapse, significant tax cuts were
implemented, entitlements were expanded, and spending related to defense and homeland security increased. By
September 2008, the debt-to-GDP ratio was 39 percent of GDP.
• PAYGO rules were reinstated in 2010, but the extraordinary demands of the 2008 economic and financial crisis and
the consequent actions taken by the federal government, combined with slower economic growth in the wake of the
crisis, pushed the debt-to-GDP ratio up to 74 percent by the end of FY 2014.
• The extraordinary demands of the pandemic, the government’s response, and pressures on the economy contributed
to a rise in the debt-to-GDP ratio to approximately 100 percent during FY 2020 and FY 2021.
14
Beginning in FY 2021 and continuing into FY 2022 and again in FY 2023, Treasury faced two delays in raising the statutory debt limit that required it to
depart from its normal debt management procedures and to invoke legal authorities to avoid exceeding the statutory debt limit. During these periods,
extraordinary measures taken by Treasury have resulted in federal debt securities not being issued to certain federal government accounts with the securities
being restored including lost interest to the affected federal government accounts subsequent to the end of the delay period. During the first delay, Treasury
took extraordinary actions from August 2, 2021, through December 15, 2021. On October 14, 2021, P.L. 117-50 was enacted which raised the statutory debt
limit by $480.0 billion, from $28,401.5 billion to $28,881.5 billion. Even with this increase, extraordinary measures continued in order for Treasury to
manage below the debt limit. On December 16, 2021, P.L. 117-73 was enacted, increasing the debt limit by $2.5 trillion to $31.4 trillion. Due to a second
delay in raising the debt limit, Treasury began taking extraordinary actions from January 19, 2023, through June 2, 2023. On June 3, 2023, P.L. 118-5 was
enacted, suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025. See Note 12—Federal Debt and Interest Payable.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 26
• The debt was approximately 97 percent of GDP at the end of FY 2023. This ratio increased during FY 2023 because
debt grew faster than GDP. 15,16 From Chart 7, since 1940, the average debt-to-GDP ratio is 50 percent.
See Note 29—COVID-19 Activity, as well as the referenced agencies’ FY 2023 financial statements for additional
information about the financial effects of the federal government’s response to the pandemic. See Note 30—Subsequent
Events for information about events that occurred after the end of the fiscal year that may affect the government’s financial
results.
15
GDP, in this context, refers to nominal GDP.
16
The increase in debt of $2.0 trillion was greater than the FY 2023 deficit of $1.7 trillion primarily because of the budgetary cost reduction relating to the
broad-based student loan debt relief reversal resulting from the Supreme Court’s determination in Biden v. Nebraska.
27 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Although gains in nominal income and wages slowed to a more normal pace, lower inflation helped to boost purchasing
power in real terms. Real disposable personal income increased 3.8 percent over the 12 months of FY 2023, more than
recovering from the 2.3 percent decline during the previous fiscal year. Although the pace of nominal average hourly
earnings growth for production and non-supervisory workers slowed in FY 2023 to 4.4 percent, it was still relatively strong.
Combined with slower inflation, real average hourly earnings rose 0.8 percent during FY 2023, after declining 2.4 percent in
the previous fiscal year.
Fiscal Sustainability
A sustainable fiscal policy is defined as one where the debt-to-GDP ratio is stable or declining over the long term. The
projections based on the assumptions in this Financial Report indicate that current policy is not sustainable. This Financial
Report presents data, including debt, as a percent of GDP to help readers assess whether current fiscal policy is sustainable.
The debt-to-GDP ratio was approximately 97 percent at the end of FY 2023, which is similar to (but slightly above) the debt-
to-GDP ratio at the end of FY 2022. The long-term fiscal projections in this Financial Report are based on the same
economic and demographic assumptions that underlie the 2023 SOSI, which is as of January 1, 2023. As discussed below, if
current policy is left unchanged and based on this Financial Report’s assumptions, the debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to
exceed 200 percent by 2047 and reach 531 percent in 2098. By comparison, under the 2022 projections, the debt-to-GDP
ratio exceeded 200 percent one year earlier in 2046 and reached 566 percent in 2097. Preventing the debt-to-GDP ratio from
rising over the next 75 years is estimated to require some combination of spending reductions and revenue increases that
amount to 4.5 percent PV of GDP over the period. While this estimate of the “75-year fiscal gap” is highly uncertain, it is
nevertheless nearly certain that current fiscal policies cannot be sustained indefinitely.
Delaying action to reduce the fiscal gap increases the magnitude of spending and/or revenue changes necessary to
stabilize the debt-to-GDP ratio as shown in Table 6 below.
The estimates of the cost of policy delay assume policy does not affect GDP or other economic variables. Delaying
fiscal adjustments for too long raises the risk that growing federal debt would increase interest rates, which would, in turn,
reduce investment and ultimately economic growth.
The projections discussed here assume current policy 18 remains unchanged, and hence, are neither forecasts nor
predictions. Nevertheless, the projections demonstrate that policy changes must be enacted to move towards fiscal
sustainability.
The Primary Deficit, Interest, and Debt
The primary deficit – the difference between non-interest spending and receipts – is the determinant of the debt-to-GDP
ratio over which the government has the greatest control (the other determinants include interest rates and growth in GDP).
Chart 8 shows receipts, non-interest spending, and the difference – the primary deficit – expressed as a share of GDP. The
primary deficit-to-GDP ratio spiked during 2009 through 2012 due to the 2008-09 financial crisis and the ensuing severe
recession, as well as the effects of the government’s response thereto. These elevated primary deficits resulted in a sharp
increase in the ratio of debt to GDP, which rose from 39 percent at the end of 2008 to 70 percent at the end of 2012. As an
economic recovery took hold, the primary deficit ratio fell, averaging 2.1 percent of GDP over 2013 through 2019. The
primary deficit-to-GDP ratio again spiked in 2020, rising to 13.3 percent of GDP in 2020, due to increased spending to
address the COVID-19 pandemic and lessen the economic impacts of stay-at-home and social distancing orders on
individuals, hard-hit industries, and small businesses. Spending remained elevated in 2021 due to additional funding to
support economic recovery, but increased receipts reduced the primary deficit-to-GDP ratio to 10.8 percent.
The primary deficit-to-GDP ratio in 2023 was 3.8 percent, increasing by 0.2 percentage points from 2022 primarily due
to lower receipts, partially offset by lower non-interest spending. The primary deficit-to-GDP ratio is projected to fall to 3.2
17
For the purposes of the SLTFP and this analysis, spending is defined in terms of outlays. In the context of federal budgeting, spending can either refer to:
1) budget authority – the authority to commit the government to make a payment; 2) obligations – binding agreements that will result in either immediate or
future payment; or 3) outlays, or actual payments made.
18
Current policy in the projections is based on current law, but includes certain adjustments, such as extension of certain policies that expire under current
law but are routinely extended or otherwise expected to continue (e.g., reauthorization of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). See Note 24 for
additional discussion of departures of current policy from current law.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 28
percent in 2024, based on the technical assumptions in this Financial Report, and projected changes in receipts and outlays,
including an estimated decrease in Medicaid outlays as the expiration of temporary measures related to the COVID-19
pandemic winds down. After 2024, increased spending for Social Security and health programs due to the continued
retirement of the baby boom generation, is projected to result in increasing primary deficit ratios that peak at 4.4 percent of
GDP in 2043. Primary deficits as a share of GDP gradually decrease beyond that point, as aging of the population continues
at a slower pace and reach 2.8 percent of GDP in 2098, the last year of the projection period.
Trends in the primary deficit are heavily influenced by tax receipts. The receipt share of GDP was markedly depressed
in 2009 through 2012 because of the recession and tax reductions enacted as part of the ARRA and the Tax Relief,
Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. The share subsequently increased to nearly 18.0
percent of GDP by 2015, before falling to 16.3 percent in 2018, after enactment of the TCJA.
Receipts reached 19.6 percent of GDP
in 2022, the highest share of GDP since
2000, then fell to 16.5 percent of GDP in
2023 due to a decrease in individual income
tax receipts and lower deposits of earnings
by the Federal Reserve. Receipts are
projected to gradually increase to 18.1
percent of GDP in 2033 when corporation
income tax and other receipts stabilize as a
share of GDP. After 2033, receipts grow
slightly more rapidly than GDP over the
projection period as increases in real (i.e.,
inflation-adjusted) incomes cause more
taxpayers and a larger share of income to
fall into the higher individual income tax
brackets. 19
On the spending side, the non-interest
spending share of GDP was 20.3 percent in
2023, 2.9 percentage points below the share
of GDP in 2022, which was 23.2 percent.
The ratio of non-interest spending to GDP
is projected to fall to 20.1 percent in 2024
and then rise gradually, reaching 23.3 percent of GDP in 2076. The ratio of non-interest spending to GDP then declines to
22.7 percent in 2098, the end of the projection period. These increases are principally due to faster growth in Social Security,
Medicare, and Medicaid spending (see Chart 8). The aging of the baby boom generation, among other factors, is projected to
increase the spending shares of GDP of Social Security and Medicare by about 0.7 and 1.7 percentage points, respectively,
from 2024 to 2040. After 2040, the Social Security and Medicare spending shares of GDP continue to increase in most years,
albeit at a slower rate, due to projected increases in health care costs and population aging, before declining toward the end of
the projection period.
On a PV basis, deficit projections reported in the FY 2023 Financial Report decreased in both present-value terms and
as a percent of the current 75-year PV of GDP. As shown in the SLTFP, this year’s estimate of the 75-year PV imbalance of
receipts less non-interest spending is 3.8 percent of the current 75-year PV of GDP ($73.2 trillion), compared to 4.2 percent
($79.5 trillion) as was projected in last year’s Financial Report. As discussed in Note 24, these decreases are attributable to
the net effect of the following factors:
• Changes due to program-specific actuarial assumptions is the effect of new Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
program-specific actuarial assumptions, which decrease the fiscal imbalance as a share of the 75-year PV of GDP by
0.6 percentage points ($10.6 trillion). This change is primarily attributable to near-term growth rate assumptions for
Medicaid. In the 2022 projections, growth rates through 2027 followed projections in the 2018 Medicaid Actuarial
Report. Growth rates for the 2023 projections are based on NHE data and reflect the expiration of temporary
measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Changes due to updated budget data increased the fiscal imbalance by 0.4 percentage points ($7.4 trillion). This
change stems from actual budget results for FY 2023 and baseline estimates published in the FY 2024 President’s
Budget, plus adjustments to discretionary spending and receipts from legislation enacted in the FRA (P.L. 118-5). 20
This deterioration in the fiscal position is largely due to a higher 75-year PV of discretionary spending on defense
programs and mandatory spending on programs other than Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and lower
19
Other possible paths for the receipts-to-GDP ratio and projected debt held by the public are shown in the “Alternative Scenarios” RSI section of this
Financial Report.
20
Legislation enacted toward the end of FY 2022 includes: An act making appropriations for Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2022, and for other purposes (P.L. 117-167); PACT Act (P.L. 117-168); and an act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S.Con.Res. 14 (P.L.
117-169).
29 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
individual income taxes as a share of wages and salaries. That deterioration is partially offset by a lower 75-year PV
of spending on non-defense discretionary programs—attributable to the FRA caps—and higher other receipts.
• Changes due to economic and demographic assumptions decreased the fiscal imbalance by 0.3 percentage points
($5.0 trillion). Contributing to this improvement in the imbalance are higher wages that increase receipts and GDP
growth rates that lead to reduced spending as a percentage of GDP. The 75-year PV of GDP for this year’s
projections is $1,919.1 trillion, greater than last year’s $1,872.9 trillion.
• Change in reporting period is the effect of shifting calculations from 2023 through 2097 to 2024 through 2098 and
increased the imbalance of the 75-year PV of receipts less non-interest spending by $1.9 trillion, which has a
negligible effect on the 75-year PV of GDP.
The net effect of the changes in the table above, equal to the penultimate row in the SLTFP, shows that this year’s
estimate of the overall 75-year PV of receipts less non-interest spending is negative 3.8 percent of the 75-year PV of GDP
(negative $73.2 trillion, as compared to a GDP of $1,919.1 trillion).
One of the most important assumptions underlying the projections is that current federal policy does not change. The
projections are therefore neither forecasts nor predictions, and do not consider large infrequent events such as natural
disasters, military engagements, or economic crises. By definition, they do not build in future changes to policy. If policy
changes are enacted, perhaps in response to projections like those presented here, then actual fiscal outcomes will be different
than those projected.
Another important assumption is the future growth of health care costs. As discussed in Note 25, these future growth
rates – both for health care costs in the economy generally and for federal health care programs such as Medicare, Medicaid,
and PPACA exchange subsidies – are highly uncertain. In particular, enactment of the PPACA in 2010 and the MACRA in
2015 lowered payment rate updates for Medicare hospital and physician payments whose long-term effectiveness of which is
not yet clear. The Medicare spending projections in the long-term fiscal projections are based on the projections in the 2023
Medicare Trustees Report, which assume the PPACA and MACRA cost control measures will be effective in producing a
substantial slowdown in Medicare cost growth.
As discussed in Note 25, the Medicare projections are subject to much uncertainty about the ultimate effects of these
provisions to reduce health care cost growth. Certain features of current law may result in some challenges for the Medicare
program including physician payments, payment rate updates for most non-physician categories, and productivity
adjustments. Payment rate updates for most non-physician categories of Medicare providers are reduced by the growth in
economy-wide private nonfarm business total factor productivity although these health providers have historically achieved
lower levels of productivity growth. Should payment rates prove to be inadequate for any service, beneficiaries’ access to and
the quality of Medicare benefits would deteriorate over time, or future legislation would need to be enacted that would likely
increase program costs beyond those projected under current law. For the long-term fiscal projections, that uncertainty also
affects the projections for Medicaid and exchange subsidies, because the cost per beneficiary in these programs is assumed to
grow at the same reduced rate as Medicare cost growth per beneficiary. Other key assumptions, as discussed in greater detail
in Note 24—Long-Term Fiscal Projections, include the following:
• Medicaid spending projections start with the NHE projections which are based on recent trends in Medicaid
spending, as well as Trustees Report assumptions. NHE projections, which end in 2031, are adjusted to accord with
the actual Medicaid spending in FY 2023. After 2031, the number of beneficiaries is projected to grow at the same
rate as total population. Medicaid cost per beneficiary is assumed to grow at the same rate as Medicare benefits per
beneficiary after 2034, after a three-year phase-in to the Medicare per beneficiary growth rate over the period 2032-
2034. The most recent Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports were released in March 2023.
• Other mandatory spending includes federal employee retirement, veterans’ disability benefits, and means-tested
entitlements other than Medicaid. Current mandatory spending components that are judged permanent under current
policy are assumed to increase by the rate of growth in nominal GDP starting in 2024, implying that such spending
will remain constant as a percent of GDP.
• Defense and non-defense discretionary spending follows the FRA caps through 2025, then grows with GDP starting
in 2026.
• Debt and interest spending is determined by projected interest rates and the level of outstanding debt held by the
public. The long-run interest rate assumptions accord with those in the 2023 Social Security Trustees Report. The
average interest rate over this year’s projection period is 4.5 percent, approximately the same as the 2022 Financial
Report. Debt at the end of each year is projected by adding that year’s deficit and other financing requirements to the
debt at the end of the previous year.
• Receipts (other than Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes) is comprised of individual income taxes, corporate
income taxes and other receipts.
o Individual income taxes were based on the share of individual income taxes of salaries and wages in the current
law baseline projection in the FY 2024 President’s Budget, and the salaries and wages projections from the
Social Security 2023 Trustees Report. That baseline accords with the tendency of effective tax rates to increase
as growth in income per capita outpaces inflation (also known as “bracket creep”) and the expiration dates of
individual income and estate and gift tax provisions of the TCJA. Individual income taxes are projected to
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 30
increase gradually from 19 percent of wages and salaries in 2024, to 29 percent of wages and salaries in 2098 as
real taxable incomes rise over time and an increasing share of total income is taxed in the higher tax brackets.
o Corporation tax receipts as a percent of GDP reflect the economic and budget assumptions used in developing
the FY 2024 President’s Budget ten-year baseline budgetary estimates through the first ten projection years,
after which they are projected to grow at the same rate as nominal GDP. Corporation tax receipts fall from 1.7
percent of GDP in 2024 to 1.2 percent of GDP in 2033, where they stay for the remainder of the projection
period.
o Other receipts, including excise taxes, estate and gift taxes, customs duties, and miscellaneous receipts, also
reflect the FY 2024 President’s Budget baseline levels as a share of GDP throughout the budget window, and
grow with GDP outside of the budget window. The ratio of other receipts, to GDP is estimated to increase from
1.1 percent in 2024 to 1.2 percent by 2027 where it remains through the projection period.
• Projections for the other categories of receipts and spending are consistent with the economic and demographic
assumptions in the Trustees Reports and include updates for actual budget results for FY 2023 or budgetary
estimates from the FY 2024 President’s Budget.
The primary deficit-to-GDP projections in Chart 8, projections for interest rates, and projections for GDP together
determine the debt-to-GDP ratio projections shown in Chart 9. That ratio was approximately 97 percent at the end of FY
2023 and under current policy is
projected to exceed the historic high of
106 percent in 2028, rise to 200 percent
by 2047 and reach 531 percent by 2098.
The change in debt held by the public
from one year to the next generally
represents the budget deficit, the
difference between total spending and
total receipts. The debt-to-GDP ratio
rises continually in great part because
primary deficits lead to higher levels of
debt, which lead to higher net interest
expenditures, and higher net interest
expenditures lead to higher debt. 21 The
continuous rise of the debt-to-GDP ratio
indicates that current policy is
unsustainable.
These debt-to-GDP projections are
lower than the corresponding
projections in both the 2022 and 2021
Financial Reports. For example, the last
year of the 75-year projection period used in the FY 2021 Financial Report is 2096. In the FY 2023 Financial Report, the
debt-to-GDP ratio for 2096 is projected to be 518 percent, which compares with 559 and 701 percent for the 2096 projection
year in the FY 2022 Financial Report and the FY 2021 Financial Report, respectively. 22
The Fiscal Gap and the Cost of Delaying Policy Reform
The 75-year fiscal gap is one measure of the degree to which current policy is unsustainable. It is the amount by which
primary surpluses over the next 75 years must, on average, rise above current-policy levels in order for the debt-to-GDP ratio
in 2098 to remain at its level in 2023. The projections show that projected primary deficits average 3.8 percent of GDP over
the next 75 years under current policy. If policies were adopted to eliminate the fiscal gap, the average primary surplus over
the next 75 years would be 0.6 percent of GDP, 4.5 percentage points higher than the projected PV of receipts less non-
interest spending shown in the financial statements. Hence, the 75-year fiscal gap is estimated to equal to 4.5 percent of GDP.
This amount is, in turn, equivalent to 23.8 percent of 75-year PV receipts and 19.8 percent of 75-year PV non-interest
spending. This estimate of the fiscal gap is 0.4 percentage points smaller than was estimated in the FY 2022 Financial Report
(4.9 percent of GDP).
In these projections, closing the fiscal gap requires running substantially positive primary surpluses, rather than simply
eliminating the primary deficit. The primary reason is that the projections assume future interest rates will exceed the growth
rate of GDP. Achieving primary balance (that is, running a primary surplus of zero) implies that the debt grows each year by
the amount of interest spending, which under these assumptions would result in debt growing faster than GDP.
21
The change in debt each year is also affected by certain transactions not included in the budget deficit, such as changes in Treasury’s cash balances and the
nonbudgetary activity of federal credit financing accounts. These transactions are assumed to hold constant at about 0.3 percent of GDP each year, with the
same effect on debt as if the primary deficit was higher by that amount.
22
See the Note 24 of the FY 2022 Financial Report of the U.S. Government for more information about changes in the long-term fiscal projections between
FYs 2022 and 2021.
31 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Social Insurance
The long-term fiscal projections reflect government receipts and spending as a whole. The SOSI focuses on the
government’s “social insurance” programs: Social Security, Medicare, Railroad Retirement, and Black Lung.23 For these
programs, the SOSI reports: 1) the actuarial PV of all future program revenue (mainly taxes and premiums) – excluding
interest – to be received from or on behalf of current and future participants; 2) the estimated future scheduled expenditures
to be paid to or on behalf of current and future participants; and 3) the difference between 1) and 2). Amounts reported in the
SOSI and in the RSI section in this Financial Report are based on each program’s official actuarial calculations.
This year’s projections for Social Security and Medicare are based on the same economic and demographic assumptions
that underlie the 2023 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports and the 2023 SOSI, while comparative information
presented from last year’s report is based on the 2022 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports and the 2022 SOSI.
Table 7 summarizes amounts reported in the SOSI, showing that net social insurance expenditures are projected to be $78.4
trillion over 75 years as of January 1, 2023 for the open group, an increase of $2.5 trillion over net expenditures of $75.9
trillion projected in the FY 2022 Financial Report. 24 The current-law 2023 amounts reported for Medicare reflect the
physician payment levels expected under the MACRA payment rules and the PPACA-mandated reductions in other Medicare
payment rates, but not the payment reductions and/or delays that would result from trust fund depletion. 25 Similarly, current-
23
The Black Lung Benefits Act provides for monthly payments and medical benefits to coal miners totally disabled from pneumoconiosis (black lung
disease) arising from their employment in or around the nation's coal mines. See https://www.dol.gov/owcp/regs/compliance/ca_main.htm. RRB’s
projections are based on economic and demographic assumptions that underlie the 28th Actuarial Valuation of the Assets and Liabilities Under the Railroad
Retirement Acts as of December 31, 2019 with Technical Supplement and the 2023 Annual Report on the Railroad Retirement System required by Section
502 of the Railroad Retirement Solvency Act of 1983 (P.L. 98-76).
24
Closed group and open group differ by the population included in each calculation. From the SOSI, the closed group includes: 1) participants who have
attained eligibility; and 2) participants who have not attained eligibility. The open group adds future participants to the closed group. See ‘Social Insurance’
in the RSI section in this Financial Report for more information.
25
MACRA permanently replaces the Sustainable Growth Rate formula, which was used to determine payment updates under the Medicare physician fee
schedule with specified payment updates through 2025. The changes specified in MACRA also establish differential payment updates starting in 2026 based
on practitioners’ participation in eligible APM; payments are also subject to adjustments based on the quality of care provided, resource use, use of certified
electronic health records, and clinical practice improvement.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 32
law projections for Social Security do not reflect benefit payment reductions and/or delays that would result from fund
depletion. By accounting convention, the transfers from the General Fund to Medicare Parts B and D are eliminated in the
consolidation of the SOSI at the government-wide level and as such, the General Fund transfers that are used to finance
Medicare Parts B and D are not included in Table 7. For the FYs 2023 and 2022 SOSI, the amounts eliminated totaled $48.5
trillion and $47.5 trillion, respectively. SOSI programs and amounts are included in the broader fiscal sustainability analysis
in the previous section, although on a slightly different basis (as described in Note 24).
In addition, the Medicare projections have been significantly affected by the enactment of the IRA of 2022. This
legislation has wide-ranging provisions, including those that restrain price growth and negotiate drug prices for certain Part B
and Part D drugs and that redesign the Part D benefit structure to decrease beneficiary out-of-pocket costs. The law takes
several years to implement, resulting in very different effects by year. The total effect of the IRA of 2022 is to reduce
government expenditures for Part B, to increase expenditures for Part D through 2030, and to decrease Part D expenditures
beginning in 2031.
The amounts reported in the SOSI provide perspective on the government’s long-term estimated exposures for social
insurance programs. These amounts are not considered liabilities in an accounting context. Future benefit payments will be
recognized as expenses and liabilities as they are incurred based on the continuation of the social insurance programs’
provisions contained in current law. The social insurance trust funds account for all related program income and expenses.
Medicare and Social Security taxes, premiums, and other income are credited to the funds; fund disbursements may only be
made for benefit payments and program administrative costs. Any excess revenues are invested in special nonmarketable
U.S. government securities at a market rate of interest. The trust funds represent the accumulated value, including interest, of
all prior program surpluses, and provide automatic funding authority to pay cover future benefits.
33 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
level was updated from worker beneficiaries newly entitled in 2018 to those newly entitled in 2019. Updates were
made to the post-entitlement benefit adjustment factors. These factors are used to account for changes in benefit
levels, primarily due to differential mortality by benefit level and earnings after benefit entitlement. Overall, changes
to programmatic data and methods caused the PV of the estimated future net cash flows to decrease by $0.3 trillion
for Social Security.
• Changes in economic and healthcare assumptions (affects Medicare only): The economic assumptions used in the
Medicare projections are the same as those used for the OASDI (described above) and are prepared by the Office of
the Chief Actuary at SSA. In addition to the economic assumptions changes described above, the healthcare
assumptions are specific to the Medicare projections. Changes to these assumptions in the current valuation include
lower projected spending growth because of anticipated effect of negotiating drug prices and other price growth
constraints. Overall, these changes decreased the PV of estimated future net cash flow by $2.6 trillion for Medicare.
• Change in Projection Base (affects Medicare only): Actual income and expenditures in 2022 were different than
what was anticipated when the 2022 Medicare Trustees Report projections were prepared. For Part A and Part B
income and expenditures were lower than estimated based on experience. Part D income and expenditures were
higher than estimated based on actual experience. Actual experience of the Medicare Trust Funds between January
1, 2022, and January 1, 2023, is incorporated in the current valuation and is less than projected in the prior valuation.
Overall, the net impact of Part A, B, and D projection base change is an increase in the estimated future net cash
flows by $2.3 trillion for Medicare.
As reported in Note 25, uncertainty remains about whether the projected cost savings and productivity improvements
will be sustained in a manner consistent with the projected cost growth over time. Note 25 includes an alternative projection
to illustrate the uncertainty of projected Medicare costs. As indicated earlier, GAO disclaimed opinions on the 2023, 2022,
2021, 2020 and 2019 SOSI because of these significant uncertainties.
Costs as a percent of GDP of both Medicare and Social Security, which are analyzed annually in the Medicare and
Social Security Trustees Reports, are projected to increase substantially through the mid-2030s because: 1) the number of
beneficiaries rises rapidly as the baby-boom generation retires; and 2) the lower birth rates that have persisted since the baby
boom cause slower growth in the labor force and GDP. 26 According to the Medicare Trustees Report, spending on Medicare
is projected to rise from its current level of 3.7 percent of GDP in 2022 to 6.0 percent in 2047 and to 6.1 percent in 2097. 27 As
for Social Security, combined spending is projected to generally increase from 5.2 percent of GDP in 2023 to a peak of 6.3
percent for 2076, and then decline to 6.0 percent by 2097. The government collects and maintains funds supporting the Social
Security and Medicare programs in trust funds. A scenario in which projected funds expended exceed projected funds
received, as reported in the SOSI, will cause the balances in those trust funds to deplete over time. Table 9 summarizes
additional current status and projected trend information, including years of projected depletion, for the Medicare HI and
Social Security Trust Funds.
As previously discussed and as noted in the Trustees Reports, these programs are on a fiscally unsustainable path.
Additional information from the Trustees Reports may be found in the RSI section of this Financial Report.
26
A Summary of the 2023 Annual Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund Reports, page 8.
27
Percent of GDP amounts are expressed in gross terms (including amounts financed by premiums and state transfers).
35 MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
28
https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-projects-monumental-emissions-reduction-inflation-reduction-act
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 36
screening tool that assesses risk level for seven natural hazards: flooding, extreme heat, extreme wind, water stress,
earthquake, tsunami, and landslide.
In-line with several Biden-Harris administration executive orders, including Executive Order 14008, Tackling the
Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, and other broad performance goals, entities have made strides towards a whole-of-
government approach to the climate crisis affecting the nation. This section summarizes some of the actionable plans that
federal entities are putting in place, and progress that they have seen. It illustrates the broader programmatic efforts that some
entities are undertaking which support the growth of America’s clean energy and clean technology industries.
• The economic impacts of positioning the global economy for a clean and sustainable future are a focus at Treasury.
Treasury’s strategic objectives include aims to promote incentives and policies to encourage the private sector’s
investment in climate-friendly projects. The IRA of 2022 is the most significant investment in climate and clean
energy in U.S. history. As tax incentives deliver most of the law’s investment, Treasury is playing a leading role in
implementing the law. The IRA of 2022 established or modified approximately 20 clean energy-related tax
incentives that will be critical in advancing the nation’s climate goals while lowering costs for consumers and
creating good-paying jobs.
• DOI is concerned about conserving and protecting its natural and cultural resources. By September 30, 2025, DOI
will assist states in reclaiming 1,150 abandoned coal mine lands; and support the plugging of 7,900 identified
orphaned oil and gas wells on state, private, tribal, and federal lands. By reducing legacy pollution with IIJA
investments, DOI is helping to improve community health and safety, create good paying jobs, and address the
climate crisis, all of which is transforming a legacy of pollution into a legacy of environmental stewardship.
• In addition to DOC’s efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change on agency operations, DOC’s financial
statements also references a $799.1 million increase in the entity’s gross costs related to National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration’s core mission of enhancing weather forecasting, water quality monitoring, and climate
reporting.
• To relay the importance of mitigating climate change for broader economic resiliency, HHS has discussed its efforts
at addressing the impact of climate change on the health of the American people by identifying vulnerable
communities and populations at risk from climate impacts and fostering climate adaptation and resilience for these
communities. This summer HHS launched the Heat-Related Illness Emergency Medical Services Activation
Surveillance Dashboard to help communities and officials keep people cool and safe through effective heat
mitigation strategies. And its investments into infrastructure and emergency equipment ahead of hurricane season
have ensured communities in hurricane-prone areas have continuous access to primary care services.
• In addition to the joint State-USAID effort to address physical and transition risks referenced above, USAID has
been at the fore of helping other countries phase out fossil fuels and transition to clean energy usage. The entity has
boosted renewable energy through competitive auctions in the Philippines; boosted wind farm generation in South
Africa; and secured renewable energy investment in Pakistan.
Readers are encouraged to review both the financial statements and Climate Adaptation Plans of the entities referenced
above, as well as others for additional information about efforts being employed across the federal government to address the
many risks associated with climate change.
Financial Management
Payment Integrity
Preventing improper payments in the federal government continues to be a management priority. To be successful in
preventing improper payments, there must be a focus on systemic enhancements intended to make payments correctly the
first time with an emphasis on minimizing monetary loss. An improper payment is any payment that should not have been
made or that was made in an incorrect amount under statutory, contractual, administrative, or other legally applicable
requirement. The term “improper payment” consists of two main components: 1) improper payments resulting in a monetary
loss to the government; and 2) improper payments that do not result in a monetary loss to the government. Monetary loss
occurs when payments are made to the wrong recipient and/or in the wrong amount. Improper payments that do not result in
a monetary loss include under payments and payments made to the right recipient for the right amount, but the payment was
not made in accordance with statute or regulation. The federal government, through the CFO community, continues to
develop strategies to better analyze and prevent monetary loss.
Agencies with programs reporting more than $100.0 million in monetary loss provide a quarterly scorecard at
PaymentAccuracy.gov. These scorecards provide information on the actions taken and progress made on preventing improper
payments that would result in monetary loss to the federal government. Details, including FY 2023 improper payment data,
for programs with at least $100.0 million in monetary loss can also be found at PaymentAccuracy.gov. This website also
includes payment integrity information that had previously been reported in agency financial reports, such as information
about program compliance, corrective actions, and accountability mechanisms.
OMB will continue to work with agencies, the CFO Council, and other stakeholders to improve the identification of the
root causes of improper payments that result in monetary loss and to prevent improper payments from occurring.
Agency Financial Report Audits
Since the passage of the CFO Act, the federal financial community has made significant progress in financial
accounting and reporting. As shown in Table 10, for FY 2023, 19 of the 24 CFO Act agencies obtained an unmodified
opinion from the independent auditors on their financial statements. 29 In addition, 52 auditor-identified material weaknesses
were identified for FY 2023, two more than in FY 2022. Twenty-eight of these are associated with DOD. The other 24
material weaknesses are associated with non-DOD agencies. Although virtually all federal agencies have adopted and
maintained disciplined financial reporting operations, implemented effective internal controls over financial reporting, and
integrated transaction processing with accounting records, weaknesses in financial management practices continue to prevent
the government as a whole from achieving an audit opinion.
29
The 19 entities include HHS, which received an unmodified (“clean”) opinion on all statements except the SOSI and the SCSIA.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 38
tactically. The Circular reflects GAO’s Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government and contains multiple
appendices that address one or more of the objectives of effective internal control.
• Appendix A provides for agencies to use a risk-based approach to assess, document, test, and report on internal
controls over reporting and data integrity;
• Appendix B requires agencies to maintain internal controls that reduce the risk of fraud, waste, and error in
government charge card programs;
• Appendix C implements the requirements for effective estimation and remediation of improper payments; and
• Appendix D defines requirements for determining compliance with the FFMIA that are intended to reduce the cost,
risk, and complexity of financial system modernizations.
As noted above, the total number of reported material weaknesses for CFO Act agencies was 52 for FY 2023, two more
than in FY 2022. Effective internal controls are a challenge at the agency level and at the government-wide level, with GAO
reporting that at the government-wide level, material weaknesses resulted in ineffective internal control over financial
reporting. While progress is being made at many agencies and across the government in identifying and resolving internal
control deficiencies, additional work is needed.
Legal Compliance
Federal agencies are required to comply with a wide range of laws and regulations, including appropriations,
employment, and health and safety, among others. Responsibility for compliance rests with agency management and
compliance is addressed as part of agency financial statement audits. Agency auditors test for compliance with selected laws
and regulations related to financial reporting and certain individual agency audit reports contain instances of noncompliance.
None of these instances were material to the government-wide financial statements; however, GAO reported that its work on
compliance with laws and regulations was limited by the material weaknesses and scope limitations discussed in its report.
Conclusion
The federal government has seen significant progress in financial management since the passage of the CFO Act more
than 30 years ago, but significant challenges remain to realizing the intended financial management reforms of the act. The
issues that the federal government faces today require financial managers to improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of
financial management activities, which includes moving toward integrated government operations with standardized business
processes, systems, and data. Together with Treasury and OMB, agencies are building on tools and capabilities to improve
financial accountability and transparency.
Additional Information
This Financial Report’s Appendix contains the names and websites of the significant government agencies included in
the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements. Details about the information in this Financial Report can be found
in these agencies’ financial statements. This Financial Report, as well as those from previous years, is also available at
Treasury, OMB, and GAO websites at:
https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/reports-statements/; https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/management/office-federal-financial-
management/; and https://www.gao.gov/federal-financial-accountability respectively. Other related government resources
include, but are not limited to the:
• Budget of the United States Government;
• Treasury Bulletin;
• Monthly Treasury Statement of Receipts and Outlays of the United States Government;
• Monthly Statement of the Public Debt of the United States;
• Your Guide to America’s Finances;
• Economic Report of the President; and
• Trustees Reports for the Social Security and Medicare Programs.
STATEMENT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES 40
The President
The President of the Senate
The Speaker of the House of Representatives
To operate as effectively and efficiently as possible, Congress, the administration, and federal
managers must have ready access to reliable and complete financial and performance information—
both for individual federal entities and for the federal government as a whole. Our report on the U.S.
government’s consolidated financial statements for fiscal years 2023 and 2022 discusses progress that
has been made but also underscores that much work remains to improve federal financial management
and that the federal government continues to face an unsustainable long-term fiscal path. 1
Our audit report on the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements is enclosed. In summary,
we found the following:
• Certain material weaknesses 2 in internal control over financial reporting and other limitations
resulted in conditions that prevented us from expressing an opinion on the accrual-based
consolidated financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and
2022. 3 About 48 percent of the federal government’s reported total assets as of September 30,
2023, and approximately 15 percent of the federal government’s reported net cost for fiscal year
2023 relate to significant federal entities that received a disclaimer of opinion 4 or qualified opinion 5
1As discussed later in this report, an unsustainable long-term fiscal path is a situation where federal debt held by the public
grows faster than gross domestic product (GDP) over the long term.
2A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there
is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the entity’s financial statements will not be prevented, or detected
and corrected, on a timely basis. A deficiency in internal control exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow
management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent, or detect and correct,
misstatements on a timely basis.
3The accrual-based consolidated financial statements comprise the (1) Statements of Net Cost, Statements of Operations and
Changes in Net Position, Reconciliations of Net Operating Cost and Budget Deficit, and Statements of Changes in Cash
Balance from Budget and Other Activities, for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and 2022; (2) Balance Sheets as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022; and (3) related notes to these financial statements. Most revenues are recorded on a modified
cash basis.
4A disclaimer of opinion arises when the auditor is unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for
an audit opinion, and the auditor concludes that the possible effects on the financial statements of undetected misstatements,
if any, could be both material and pervasive and accordingly does not express an opinion on the financial statements.
5A qualified opinion arises when the auditor is able to express an opinion on the financial statements except for specific areas
where the auditor was unable to obtain sufficient appropriate evidence, and the auditor concludes that the possible effects on
the financial statements of undetected misstatements, if any, could be material but not pervasive.
41 STATEMENT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES
on their fiscal year 2023 financial statements or whose fiscal year 2023 financial information was
unaudited. 6
• Significant uncertainties (discussed in Note 25, Social Insurance, to the consolidated financial
statements), primarily related to the achievement of projected reductions in Medicare cost growth,
prevented us from expressing an opinion on the sustainability financial statements, which consist of
the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections; 7 the 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and
2019 Statements of Social Insurance; 8 and the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Changes in Social
Insurance Amounts. About $53.1 trillion, or 68 percent, of the reported total present value of future
expenditures in excess of future revenue presented in the 2023 Statement of Social Insurance
relates to the Medicare program reported in the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS)
2023 Statement of Social Insurance, which received a disclaimer of opinion. A material weakness in
internal control also prevented us from expressing an opinion on the 2023 and 2022 Statements of
Long-Term Fiscal Projections.
• Material weaknesses resulted in ineffective internal control over financial reporting for fiscal year
2023.
• Material weaknesses and other scope limitations, discussed above, limited tests of compliance with
selected provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements for fiscal year
2023.
6These entities include the following: (1) The Department of Defense received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal years 2023
and 2022 financial statements. (2) The Small Business Administration received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal years 2023
and 2022 balance sheets, and its remaining statements were unaudited. (3) The Department of Education received a
disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal year 2023 balance sheet and its remaining statements were unaudited. The department
received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal year 2022 financial statements. (4) The Department of Labor received a qualified
opinion on its fiscal years 2023 and 2022 financial statements. (5) The Department of Agriculture received a qualified opinion
on its fiscal year 2023 financial statements but received an unmodified opinion on its fiscal year 2022 financial statements. (6)
The Security Assistance Accounts received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal years 2023 and 2022 financial statements. (7)
The fiscal year 2023 Schedules of the General Fund were not audited to allow the Department of the Treasury time to continue
to implement a remediation plan to address the issues we reported as part of our disclaimer of opinion on the fiscal year 2022
Schedules of the General Fund. (8) The Railroad Retirement Board received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal years 2023
and 2022 financial statements.
7The 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections present, for all the activities of the federal government, the
present value of projected receipts and noninterest spending under current policy without change, the relationship of these
amounts to projected gross domestic product (GDP), and changes in the present value of projected receipts and noninterest
spending from the prior year. These statements also present the fiscal gap, which is the combination of receipt increases and
noninterest spending reductions necessary to hold debt held by the public as a share of GDP at the end of the 75-year
projection period to its value at the beginning of the period. The valuation date for the Statements of Long-Term Fiscal
Projections is September 30.
8The Statements of Social Insurance present the present value of revenue and expenditures for social benefit programs,
primarily Social Security and Medicare. These statements are presented for the current year and each of the 4 preceding
years as required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. For the Statements of Social Insurance, the valuation date
is January 1 for the Social Security and Medicare programs, October 1 for the Railroad Retirement program, and September
30 for the Black Lung program.
STATEMENT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES 42
financial statements, up from six CFO Act agencies that received clean audit opinions for fiscal year
1996. 9
Accounting and financial reporting standards have continued to evolve to provide greater transparency
and accountability over the federal government’s operations and financial condition, including long-term
sustainability. We have reported areas where financial management can be improved, including
standardizing and clarifying the responsibilities of chief financial officers, preparing government-wide
and agency-level financial management plans, better linking performance and cost information for
decision-making, and strengthening improper payment and fraud risk management reporting. 10
While the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements provide a high-level summary of the
financial position, operating results, and financial condition for the federal government as a whole,
substantial benefits have been achieved as a result of agencies’ preparation and audit of financial
statements, including
• useful and necessary insight into government operations, including the agencies’ financial
conditions;
• increased federal agency accountability to Congress and citizens, including independent assurance
about the reliability of reported financial information;
• greater confidence to stakeholders (e.g., governance officials, taxpayers, consumers, and regulated
entities) that federal funds are being properly accounted for and assets are properly safeguarded;
• an assessment of the reliability and effectiveness of systems and related internal controls, including
identifying control deficiencies that could lead to fraud, waste, or abuse;
• a focus on information security;
• early warnings of financial management issues; and
• identification of noncompliance with laws and regulations, which can present challenges to agency
operations.
The preparation and audit of individual federal entities’ financial statements have also identified
numerous deficiencies, leading to corrective actions to strengthen federal entities’ internal controls,
processes, and systems. For instance, in fiscal year 2023 the Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s auditor reported a significant deficiency in internal control over financial reporting, which
was an improvement from the prior year’s reported material weakness. 11
9The 19 agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services, which received an unmodified (“clean”) opinion on
all statements except the Statements of Social Insurance and the Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts.
10GAO, Federal Financial Management: Substantial Progress Made since Enactment of the 1990 CFO Act; Refinements
Would Yield Added Benefits, GAO-20-566 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 6, 2020), and Emergency Relief Funds: Significant
Improvements Are Needed to Ensure Transparency and Accountability for COVID-19 and Beyond, GAO-22-105715
(Washington, D.C.: Mar. 17, 2022).
11A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that is less
severe than a material weakness yet important enough to merit attention by those charged with governance.
43 STATEMENT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES
DOD continues to take positive steps to improve its financial management but faces long-standing
issues. After many years of working toward financial statement audit readiness, DOD underwent full
financial statement audits for fiscal years 2018 through 2023. These audits resulted in disclaimers of
opinion, material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting (28 in both fiscal years 2023
and 2022), and thousands of audit findings.
DOD leadership identified a number of financial management-related benefits from these department-
wide audits, as well as operational improvements. Specifically, DOD reported that the annual financial
statement audits (1) are vital to the department’s data transformation and business reform efforts, and
(2) provide objective, independent assessments of the department’s internal controls, financial reporting
practices, and reliability of financial information. DOD also reported that auditor findings help DOD
leadership prioritize improvements, drive efficiencies, identify issues with systems, and measure
progress in modernizing the department’s financial management capabilities. Further, DOD reported
that the audits have been a catalyst for business process and business system reform across DOD,
resulting in greater financial integrity, increased transparency, and a better supported warfighter.
Examples of recent financial management-related benefits DOD identified include:
• Obligations. Better management of budget obligations, resulting in the availability of budget funds
that could be used for more immediate mission-support and mission-critical needs. For example, for
fiscal year 2023, DOD reported that it identified and deobligated $330 million, which allowed the
department to reprogram the funds for other needs.
• Real property. Better real property management, resulting in improved real property records and
redeployment of maintenance costs.
• Inventory. Identification of several billion dollars related to (1) usable inventory that was not tracked
in the inventory system but was available for use in addressing unmet needs, (2) unneeded
inventory that resulted in freeing up storage space, and (3) inventory that was unavailable or
unusable to meet mission needs. For example, initiatives to locate untracked or excess material
identified more than $4.4 billion of material that was made available for redeployment.
• Systems. Improved accuracy of the systems inventory, consolidation and retirement of systems,
and reduction of maintenance costs for legacy systems. For example, in fiscal year 2023, DOD
retired 10 financial reporting systems.
DOD has acknowledged that achieving a clean audit opinion will take time. DOD management
prioritized certain critical areas for improvement (i.e., for fiscal year 2023, its priorities were to improve
fund balance with Treasury (FBWT), establish user access controls, and create a universe of
transactions). 12 DOD reported that it uses the number of audit findings closed and material weaknesses
downgraded or resolved from year to year to measure progress toward achieving a clean audit opinion.
For example, while FBWT remains a material weakness at the DOD-wide level, certain components
reported progress in addressing deficiencies in this area in fiscal year 2023. Specifically, the
Department of the Army Working Capital Fund and the Department of the Navy General Fund reduced
their FBWT material weaknesses to significant deficiencies, and the Department of the Air Force
General Fund remediated its FBWT material weakness.
12Fund balance with Treasury (FBWT) is the amount in an entity’s accounts with Treasury that is available for making
expenditures and paying liabilities. Universe of transactions relates to transaction-level populations supporting material
financial statement line items.
STATEMENT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES 44
Various efforts are also under way to address the other two major impediments to rendering an opinion
on the accrual-based consolidated financial statements. In addition to Treasury’s and the Office of
Management and Budget’s (OMB) continued leadership, federal entities’ strong and sustained
commitment is critical to fully addressing these impediments.
The Department of the Treasury made progress addressing the material weakness related to the
government’s inability to adequately account for intragovernmental activity and balances between
federal entities. For example, in fiscal year 2023, Treasury was able to work with component entities to
reduce intragovernmental differences to amounts Treasury determined were immaterial to the
consolidated financial statements, although it is uncertain if this outcome can be sustained in the future
due to underlying deficiencies at component entities. Treasury also (1) continued to provide information
and assistance to significant component entities to aid in resolving their intragovernmental differences
and (2) issued additional guidance to federal entities related to accounting for intragovernmental
transactions.
Treasury has also made progress addressing the material weaknesses related to the federal
government’s process for preparing the consolidated financial statements. In recent years, Treasury’s
corrective actions have included implementing new processes for preparing the consolidated financial
statements, enhancing guidance for federal entity financial reporting, and implementing procedures to
address certain previously issued internal control deficiencies. 13
In addition to the three major impediments, certain federal entities have experienced financial
management challenges in recent years.
• The Small Business Administration (SBA), which had substantial activity related to COVID-19 relief
programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program and the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster
Loan program, was unable to obtain an opinion on its fiscal years 2020 through 2023 financial
statements, after years of receiving clean opinions. SBA’s auditor reported that the urgent need for
SBA to implement COVID-19-related programs led to deficiencies in internal control processes. 14
SBA’s auditor reported several material weaknesses in internal control in fiscal years 2020 through
2023 related to these programs. These weaknesses limit the reliability of SBA’s financial reporting
and increase the risk of fraud and improper payments. Due to the continuing material weaknesses
in controls associated with the two programs that led to loans going to potentially ineligible
borrowers, we have designated Emergency Loans for Small Businesses as a high-risk area since
2021. 15
• The Department of Education, after years of receiving clean opinions, was unable to obtain an
opinion on its fiscal years 2022 and 2023 financial statements. Education’s auditor continued to
report a material weakness related to the department’s controls over the data used for estimating
13GAO, U.S. Consolidated Financial Statements: Improvements Needed in Internal Controls over Treasury and OMB
the costs of its loan programs. 16 For example, for fiscal year 2023, errors existed in the underlying
data used for estimating the costs for the department’s student loan program. This weakness limits
the reliability of Education’s financial reporting.
• The Department of Labor received a qualified opinion on its fiscal years 2021 through 2023 financial
statements. Labor was unable to adequately support assumptions used for estimating remaining
obligations and benefit overpayments related to the unemployment insurance program. 17
• The Department of Agriculture received a qualified opinion on its fiscal year 2023 financial
statements related to the recognition of certain budget obligations for Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program benefits. 18
The material weaknesses underlying the financial management challenges discussed above (1)
hamper the federal government’s ability to reliably report a significant portion of its assets, liabilities,
costs, and other related information; (2) affect the federal government’s ability to reliably measure the
full cost, as well as the financial and nonfinancial performance, of certain programs and activities; (3)
impair the federal government’s ability to adequately safeguard significant assets and properly record
various transactions; and (4) hinder the federal government from having reliable, useful, and timely
financial information to operate effectively and efficiently. We have made a number of
recommendations to OMB, Treasury, DOD, and SBA to address these issues. 19 These entities have
taken or plan to take actions to address these recommendations.
In addition to the material weaknesses referred to above, we identified two other continuing material
weaknesses. These are the federal government’s inability to (1) determine the full extent to which
improper payments occur and reasonably assure that appropriate actions are taken to reduce them and
(2) identify and resolve information system control deficiencies and manage information security risks
on an ongoing basis. The fiscal year 2023 government-wide total of reported improper payment
estimates was $236 billion. However, this amount does not include improper payment estimates for
certain programs. For example, improper payment estimates were not reported for HHS’s Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families program. As it relates to information system controls, 13 of the 24
agencies covered by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 reported material weaknesses or
significant deficiencies in information system controls.
Our audit report presents additional details concerning these material weaknesses and their effect on
the accrual-based consolidated financial statements, sustainability financial statements, and managing
federal government operations. Until the problems outlined in our audit report are adequately
addressed, they will continue to have adverse implications for the federal government and the
American people.
16Department of Education, Agency Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2023 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 16, 2023).
17Department of Labor, Agency Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2023 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 14, 2023).
18Department of Agriculture, Agency Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2023 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 16, 2024).
19See GAO, High Risk Area: DOD Financial Management, accessed February 7, 2024,
https://www.gao.gov/highrisk/dod_financial_management; GAO-23-106707; and High Risk Area: Emergency Loans for Small
Businesses. Further, other auditors have made recommendations to DOD and SBA for improving their financial management.
STATEMENT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES 46
GAO, CBO, and the 2023 Financial Report, although using somewhat different assumptions, all project
that debt held by the public as a share of GDP (debt-to-GDP) will surpass its historical high (106
percent in 1946) in 2028. Health care and Social Security remain key drivers of federal noninterest
spending in the long-term projections. In addition, GAO, CBO and the 2023 Financial Report project
that growing debt held by the public and increases in interest rates from recent historic lows will lead to
higher spending on net interest (primarily interest on debt held by the public).
The 2023 Financial Report provides an estimate of the magnitude of policy changes needed to achieve
a target debt-to-GDP ratio of 97 percent (the 2023 level) in 2098 (the fiscal gap). 21 Policymakers could
close the fiscal gap, achieving the target ratio, through a combination of revenue increases and
noninterest spending reductions. To illustrate the magnitude of policy changes needed, if policymakers
choose to close the fiscal gap solely through increased revenues, they would need to make policy
changes over a 75-year period (fiscal years 2024 to 2098) that increase each year’s projected revenues
by 23.8 percent. If policymakers choose to close the fiscal gap solely through reductions in noninterest
spending, they would need to make policy changes over a 75-year period (fiscal years 2024 to 2098)
that reduce each year’s projected noninterest spending by 19.8 percent. The projections show that the
longer policy changes are delayed, the more significant the magnitude of policy changes will need to be
to achieve the debt-to-GDP target.
Since 2017, we have stated that Congress should develop a fiscal plan to place the federal government
on a sustainable fiscal path and ensure that the United States remains in a strong economic position to
meet its social and security needs, as well as to preserve flexibility to address unforeseen events, such
as an economic downturn or large-scale disaster. In developing a fiscal plan, policymakers will need to
consider the entire range of federal activities, both revenue (including tax expenditures) and spending
(entitlement programs, other mandatory spending, and discretionary spending) that affect the debt. 22
In September 2020, we suggested that a long-term fiscal plan include fiscal rules and targets, such as a
debt-to-GDP target, and identified key considerations for the design, implementation, and enforcement
20For more information on GAO’s simulations, see GAO, The Nation’s Fiscal Health: Road Map Needed to Address Projected
Unsustainable Debt Levels, GAO-24-106987 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 15, 2024). For more information on CBO’s simulations,
see Congressional Budget Office, The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2024 to 2034 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 7, 2024).
21Fiscalgap can also be calculated using different time horizons and different target debt-to-GDP ratios. GAO projects a fiscal
gap for a 30-year period. For more information, see GAO, “Interactive Graphic: Exploring the Tough Choices for a Sustainable
Fiscal Path,” accessed February 7, 2024, https://files.gao.gov/multimedia/gao-23-106201/interactive.
22Tax expenditures, as defined by law, are provisions of the federal tax code that reduce taxpayers’ tax liability and therefore
the amount of tax revenue paid to the federal government. Examples include tax credits, deductions, exclusions, exemptions,
deferrals, and preferential tax rates. 2 U.S.C. § 622(3).
47 STATEMENT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES
of fiscal rules and targets. 23 For example, the design should provide flexibility to address emerging
issues, such as an economic downturn or large-scale disaster. Well-designed fiscal rules and targets
can help manage debt by controlling factors like spending and revenue. GAO issues an annual report
on the fiscal health of the federal government, which provides more information on the federal
government’s unsustainable long-term fiscal path. 24
We have also previously suggested that Congress consider alternative approaches to the current debt
limit as part of any long-term fiscal plan. 25 The debt limit is a legal limit on the total amount of federal
debt that can be outstanding at one time. 26 However, it does not restrict Congress’s ability to pass
spending and revenue legislation that affects the level of debt in the future, nor does it otherwise
constrain fiscal policy. Delays in raising the debt limit could force Treasury to delay payments on
maturing securities and interest until sufficient funds are available, compromising the safety of Treasury
securities. This risk disrupts financial markets, and investors may require higher interest rates to hedge
against the increased risks.
Further, there are other risks—such as natural disasters and climate change, global or regional military
conflicts, housing finance, and public health crises—that could affect the federal government’s financial
condition in the future. These risks are not fully accounted for in the government’s long-term fiscal
projections. Some of the specific risks that could affect the federal government’s financial condition
include the following:
• Federal support of the housing finance market remains significant even though the market has
largely recovered since the 2007 to 2009 financial crisis. In 2008, the federal government placed
the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage
Corporation (Freddie Mac) under conservatorship and entered into preferred stock purchase
agreements with these government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) to help ensure their financial
stability. These agreements could affect the federal government’s financial condition. At the end of
fiscal year 2023, the federal government reported about $240 billion of investments in these GSEs,
which is net of about $70 billion in valuation losses. The reported maximum remaining contractual
commitment to these GSEs, if needed, is about $254 billion.
The ultimate role of these GSEs could affect the federal government’s financial condition and the
financial condition of certain federal entities, including the Federal Housing Administration (FHA),
which in the past expanded its lending role in distressed housing and mortgage markets. Federal
actions and strong housing market conditions have strengthened the financial condition of FHA and
23GAO, The Nation’s Fiscal Health: Effective Use of Fiscal Rules and Targets, GAO-20-561 (Washington, D.C.: Sept. 23,
2020).
24GAO-24-106987.
25GAO, Debt Limit: Market Response to Recent Impasses Underscores Need to Consider Alternative Approaches, GAO-15-
476 (Washington, D.C.: July 9, 2015).
26The debt limit is codified at 31 U.S.C. § 3101(b), as amended, and applies to federal debt issued pursuant to authority under
31 U.S.C. chapter 31. A very small amount of total federal debt is not subject to the debt limit. This amount primarily comprises
unamortized discounts on Treasury bills and Zero Coupon Treasury bonds; debt securities issued by agencies other than
Treasury, such as the Tennessee Valley Authority; and debt securities issued by the Federal Financing Bank.
STATEMENT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES 48
these GSEs. However, risks remain that could affect their ability to absorb unexpected losses under
severely adverse conditions. 27
• Disaster costs are expected to increase as extreme weather events become more frequent and
intense because of climate change, as the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have observed and projected. Key sources of
exposure include supplemental appropriations to provide disaster assistance, additional losses on
federal insurance programs (e.g., crop and flood insurance), and damage to federal property that
might be affected. For example, as currently structured, the National Flood Insurance Program’s
premiums and dedicated resources are not sufficient to cover expected costs without borrowing
from Treasury. 28 As of September 30, 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
which administers the National Flood Insurance Program, owed about $21 billion to Treasury for
money borrowed to pay claims and other expenses. We have reported that FEMA is unlikely to
collect enough in premiums in the future to repay this debt. 29
_________________________
Our audit report on the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements would not be possible
without the commitment and professionalism of inspectors general throughout the federal government
who are responsible for annually auditing the financial statements of individual federal entities. We also
appreciate the cooperation and assistance of Treasury and OMB officials as well as the federal entities’
chief financial officers’ flexibility, adaptability, and ability to issue their financial statements on a timely
basis. We look forward to continuing to work with these individuals, the administration, and Congress to
achieve the goals and objectives of federal financial management reform.
Our audit report begins on page 218. Our guide, Understanding the Financial Report of the United
States Government, is intended to help those who seek to obtain a better understanding of the financial
report and is available on GAO’s website at https://www.gao.gov. 30
27GAO,Housing Finance System: Future Reforms Should Consider Past Plans and Vulnerabilities Highlighted by Pandemic,
GAO-22-104284 (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 13, 2022).
28We have suggested an alternative way to record insurance commitments in the budget such that the federal government’s
commitment would be more fully recognized. See GAO, Fiscal Exposures: Federal Insurance and Other Activities That
Transfer Risk or Losses to the Government, GAO-19-353 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 27, 2019).
29GAO, Flood Insurance: FEMA's New Rate-Setting Methodology Improves Actuarial Soundness but Highlights Need for
Broader Program Reform, GAO-23-105977 (Washington, D.C.: July 31, 2023).
30GAO, Understanding the Financial Report of the United States Government, GAO-18-239SP (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 2018).
49 STATEMENT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES
If you have any questions about our audit report, please contact me on (202) 512-5500 or Robert F.
Dacey, Chief Accountant, or Dawn B. Simpson, Director, Financial Management and Assurance, on
(202) 512-3406.
Gene L. Dodaro
Comptroller General
of the United States
Financial Statements
of the United States Government
for the Fiscal Years Ended September 30,
2023, and 2022
The consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government were prepared using GAAP. These statements include the
accrual-based financial statements and the sustainability financial statements, which are discussed in more detail below, and
the related notes to the consolidated financial statements. Collectively, the accrual-based financial statements, the
sustainability financial statements, and the notes represent basic information that is deemed essential for the consolidated
financial statements to be presented in conformity with GAAP.
transactions the selling entities’ costs are reallocated to the buying entities in order to allocate the costs to the entities that
benefit from such costs.
In addition, the intra-governmental imputed costs recognized for the receipt of goods and services, financed in whole or
part by the providing entities, have been reallocated to the net cost amounts of the individual entities receiving the benefit and
subtracted from the applicable administering entities’ net cost amounts. The most significant types of imputed costs that are
recorded relate to post-retirement and health benefits, FECA, and Treasury’s Judgment Fund.
The interest on securities issued by Treasury and held by the public is reported on Treasury’s financial statements, but
because of its importance and the dollar amounts involved, it is reported separately in these statements.
Revenue
Inflows of resources to the government that the government demands or that it receives by donations are identified as
non-exchange revenue. The inflows that it demands include individual income tax and tax withholdings, corporate income
taxes, excise taxes, unemployment taxes, custom duties, and estate and gift taxes. The non-exchange revenue is recognized
when collected and adjusted for the change in amounts receivable.
Individual income tax and tax withholdings include FICA/SECA taxes and other taxes. Excise taxes consist of taxes
collected for various items, such as airline tickets, gasoline products, distilled spirits and imported liquor, tobacco, firearms,
and other items.
Other taxes and receipts include FRBs earnings, tax related fines, penalties and interest, and railroad retirement taxes.
Miscellaneous earned revenues consist of earned revenues received from the public with virtually no associated cost.
These revenues include rents and royalties on the Outer Continental Shelf Lands resulting from the leasing and development
of mineral resources on public lands.
Intra-governmental revenue represents interest earned from the investment of surplus dedicated collections, which
finance the deficit spending of all other fund’s non-dedicated operations. These investments are recorded as intra-
governmental debt holdings and are included in Note 12—Federal Debt and Interest Payable, in the table titled Intra-
governmental Debt Holdings: Federal Debt Securities Held as Investments by Government Accounts. These interest earnings
and the associated investments are eliminated in the consolidation process.
Intra-governmental Transfers
Intra-governmental transfers are transfers between funds other than those from dedicated collections and funds from
dedicated collections, such as intra-governmental interest and amounts required by statute to be transferred from the General
Fund to funds from dedicated collections. These intra-governmental transfers include appropriations, transfers, and other
financing sources. These amounts are labeled as “other changes in fund balance” in Note 22—Funds from Dedicated
Collections.
Balance Sheets
The Balance Sheets show the government’s assets, liabilities, and net position. When combined with stewardship
information, this information presents a more comprehensive understanding of the government’s financial position. The net
position for funds from dedicated collections is shown separately.
Assets
Assets included on the Balance Sheets are resources of the government that remain available to meet future needs. The
most significant assets that are reported on the Balance Sheets are loans receivable, net, general PP&E, net; accounts
receivable, net; and cash and other monetary assets. There are, however, other significant resources available to the
government that extend beyond the assets presented in these Balance Sheets. Those resources include stewardship PP&E in
addition to the government’s sovereign powers to tax and set monetary policy.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 54
1
With the exception of the Black Lung program, which has a rolling 25-year projection period that begins on the September 30 valuation date each year.
55 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
between the estimates in the sustainability financial statements and actual results, and those differences may be material. The
unaudited RSI section of this Financial Report includes PV projections using different assumptions to illustrate the
sensitivity of the sustainability financial statements to changes in certain assumptions. The sustainability financial statements
are intended to help the readers understand current policy and the importance and magnitude of policy reforms necessary to
make it sustainable.
By accounting convention, General Fund transfers to Medicare Parts B and D reported in the SOSI are eliminated when
preparing the government-wide consolidated financial statements. The SOSI shows the projected General Fund transfers as
eliminations that, under current law, would be used to finance the remainder of the expenditures in excess of revenues for
Medicare Parts B and D reported in the SOSI. The SLTFP include all revenues (including general revenues) of the federal
government.
2
In relation to the amounts presented in the SOSI and SCSIA, because the combined Railroad Retirement and Black Lung programs account for less than
one-quarter of 1.0 percent of the statement totals, they are not material from the government-wide perspective.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 56
Black Lung which has a rolling 25-year projection period through September 30, 2048). The reconciliation identifies several
components of the changes that are significant and provides reasons for the changes in Note 25—Social Insurance.
57 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
*
Certain amounts differ from prior year reported amounts due to a change in presentation (see Financial Statement Note 1.W).
*
Certain amounts differ from prior year reported amounts due to a change in presentation (see Financial Statement Note 1.W).
**
The amounts represent the year over year net change in the Balance Sheet line items.
Assets:
Cash and other monetary assets (Note 2) 922.2 877.8
Accounts receivable, net (Note 3) 319.9 356.3
Loans receivable, net (Note 4) 1,695.1 1,434.1
Negative loan guarantee liabilities (Note 4) 4.6 -
Inventory and related property, net (Note 5) 423.0 406.9
General property, plant and equipment, net (Note 6) 1,235.0 1,197.5
Investments (Note 7) 130.8 130.3
Investments in government-sponsored enterprises (Note 8) 240.4 223.7
Advances and prepayments (Note 9) 252.7 298.1
Other assets (Note 10) 195.4 37.7
Total assets 5,419.1 4,962.4
Stewardship property, plant, and equipment (Note 26)
Liabilities:
Accounts payable (Note 11) 124.2 114.6
Federal debt and interest payable (Note 12) 26,347.7 24,328.0
Federal employee and veteran benefits payable (Note 13) 14,327.4 12,811.9
Environmental and disposal liabilities (Note 14) 645.3 626.3
Benefits due and payable (Note 15) 325.9 288.3
Loan guarantee liabilities (Note 4) - 6.4
Insurance and guarantee program liabilities (Note 16) 99.3 104.5
Advances from others and deferred revenues (Note 17) 355.3 247.2
Other liabilities (Note 18) 673.2 495.1
Total liabilities 42,898.3 39,022.3
Commitments (Note 20) and Contingencies (Note 21)
Net Position:
Funds from Dedicated Collections (Note 22) 3,760.5 3,696.4
Funds other than those from Dedicated Collections (41,239.7) (37,757.6)
Total net position (37,479.2) (34,061.2)
Total liabilities and net position* 5,419.1 4,962.4
*
Total liabilities and net position equals Total liabilities, Total net position and Unmatched transactions and balances.
Non-interest spending:
Social Security 114.2 109.0 5.3 6.0 5.8 0.1
Medicare Part A3 37.9 37.1 0.8 2.0 2.0 -
Medicare Parts B & D4 52.2 51.1 1.1 2.7 2.7 -
Medicaid 47.3 56.5 (9.2) 2.5 3.0 (0.6)
Other mandatory 62.8 53.4 9.4 3.3 2.8 0.4
Defense discretionary 59.8 56.9 2.9 3.1 3.0 0.1
Non-defense discretionary 58.9 66.2 (7.3) 3.1 3.5 (0.5)
Total non-interest spending 433.1 430.2 3.0 22.6 23.0 (0.4)
Receipts less non-interest spending (73.2) (79.5) 6.4 (3.8) (4.2) 0.4
1
75-year present value projections for 2023 are as of 9/30/2023 for FYs 2024-2098; projections for 2022 are as of 9/30/2022 for FYs
2023-2097.
2
The 75-year present value of nominal GDP, which drives the calculations above is $1,919.1 trillion starting in FY 2024, and was
$1,872.9 trillion starting in FY 2023.
3
Represents portions of Medicare supported by payroll taxes.
4
Represents portions of Medicare supported by general revenues. Consistent with the President's Budget, outlays for Parts B & D are
presented net of premiums.
5
To prevent the debt-to-GDP ratio from rising over the next 75 years, a combination of non-interest spending reductions and receipt
increases that amounts to 4.5 percent of GDP on average is needed (4.9 percent of GDP on average in 2022). See Note 24—
Long-Term Fiscal Projections.
1
The projection period for Social Security and Medicare is 1/1/2023 - 12/31/2097 and the valuation date is 1/1/2023.
2
The projection period for Social Security and Medicare is 1/1/2022 - 12/31/2096 and the valuation date is 1/1/2022.
3
The projection period for Social Security and Medicare is 1/1/2021 - 12/31/2095 and the valuation date is 1/1/2021.
4
The projection period for Social Security and Medicare is 1/1/2020 - 12/31/2094 and the valuation date is 1/1/2020.
5
The projection period for Social Security and Medicare is 1/1/2019 - 12/31/2093 and the valuation date is 1/1/2019.
6 These amounts represent the PV of the future transfers from the General Fund to the SMI Trust Funds. These future intra-governmental
are included as income in both HHS’s and the CMS’s financial statements but, by accounting convention, are not income from the
government-wide perspective of this report.
7
Includes Railroad Retirement and Black Lung.
8
These amounts do not include the PV of the financial interchange between the railroad retirement and social security systems,
which is included as income in the Railroad Retirement Financial Report, but is not included from the government-wide perspective of this
report (See discussion of RRB in the unaudited RSI section of this report).
9
Does not include interest expense accruing on the outstanding debt of the BLDTF.
10
For information on the projection periods and valuation dates for the Railroad Retirement and Black Lung programs, refer to the financial
statements of RRB and DOL, respectively.
11
Current participants for the Social Security and Medicare programs are assumed to be the closed group of individuals who are at least
15 years of age at the start of the projection period, and are participating as either taxpayers, beneficiaries, or both. Amounts shown exclude
General Fund transfers reported by CMS for Medicare's Parts B and D.
1
Amounts represent changes between valuation dates 1/1/2022 and 1/1/2023.
2
Includes Railroad Retirement changes between valuation dates 10/1/2021 and 10/1/2022 and Black Lung changes between 9/30/2022 and
9/30/2023.
3
Amounts shown exclude General Fund transfers reported by CMS for Medicare's Parts B and D.
1
Amounts represent changes between valuation dates 1/1/2021 and 1/1/2022.
2
Includes Railroad Retirement changes between valuation dates 10/1/2020 and 10/1/2021 and Black Lung changes between 9/30/2021 and
9/30/2022.
3
Amounts shown exclude General Fund transfers reported by CMS for Medicare's Parts B and D.
A. Reporting Entity
The government includes the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. This Financial Report
includes the financial status and activities related to the operations of the government. SFFAS No. 47, Reporting Entity
provides criteria for identifying organizations that are included in the Financial Report as consolidation entities or disclosure
entities. The determination as to whether an organization is a consolidation entity or disclosure entity is based on the
assessment of the following characteristics as a whole, the organization: a) is financed through taxes and other non-exchange
revenues; b) is governed by the Congress or the President; c) imposes or may impose risks and rewards to the government;
and d) provides goods and services on a non-market basis.
Consolidation entities are organizations that are consolidated in the financial statements. For disclosure entities, data is
not consolidated in the financial statements, instead information is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements
concerning: a) the nature of the government’s relationship with the disclosure entities; b) the nature and magnitude of
relevant activity with the disclosure entities during the period and balances at the end of the period; and c) a description of
financial and non-financial risks, potential benefits and, if possible, the amount of the government’s exposure to gains and
losses from the past or future operations of the disclosure entity or entities.
SFFAS No. 47 also provides guidance for identifying related parties and in determining what information to provide
about related party relationships of such significance that it would be misleading to exclude such information.
Based on the criteria in GAAP for federal entities, the assets, liabilities, and results of operations of Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac are not consolidated into the government's consolidated financial statements. However, the values of the
investments in such entities, changes in value, and related activity with these entities are included in the government's
consolidated financial statements. Although federal investments in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are significant, these entities
do not meet the GAAP criteria for consolidation entities.
Under SFFAS No. 47 criteria, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were owned or controlled by the government as a result of:
a) regulatory actions (such as organizations in receivership or conservatorship); or b) other government intervention actions.
Under the regulatory or other intervention actions, the relationship with the government is not expected to be permanent.
These entities are classified as disclosure entities based on their characteristics as a whole (see Note 27—Disclosure Entities
and Related Parties for additional information on these disclosure entities).
Also, under GAAP criteria, the FR System and SPVs are not consolidated into the government's consolidated financial
statements (see Note 7—Investments for additional information on SPVs and Note 27—Disclosure Entities and Related
Parties for additional information concerning the FR System).
For additional information regarding Reporting Entity, see Appendix A—Reporting Entity.
consolidation, except as described in the Other Information–Unmatched Transactions and Balances. See Note 1.T—
Unmatched Transactions and Balances for additional information. The consolidated financial statements include accrual-
based financial statements and sustainability financial statements, which are discussed in more detail below, and the related
notes to the consolidated financial statements. Collectively, the accrual-based financial statements, the sustainability financial
statements, and the notes represent information that is deemed essential for the financial statements and notes to be presented
in conformity with GAAP.
Accounting standards allow certain presentations and disclosures to be modified, if needed, to prevent the disclosure of
classified information. Accordingly, modifications may have been made to certain presentations and disclosures.
Accrual-Based Financial Statements
The accrual-based financial statements were prepared under the following principles:
• Expenses are generally recognized when incurred.
• Non-exchange revenue, including taxes, duties, fines, and penalties, are recognized when collected and adjusted for
the change in amounts receivable (modified cash basis). Related refunds and other offsets, including those that are
measurable and legally payable, are netted against non-exchange revenue.
• Exchange (earned) revenue is recognized when the government provides goods and services to the public for a price.
Exchange revenue includes user charges such as admission to federal parks and premiums for certain federal
insurance.
The basis of accounting used for budgetary purposes, which is primarily on a cash basis (budget deficit) and follows
budgetary concepts and policies, differs from the basis of accounting used for the financial statements which follow GAAP.
See the Reconciliations of Net Operating Cost and Budget Deficit in the Financial Statements section and Note 29—COVID-
19 Activity in the notes to the financial statements.
Sustainability Financial Statements
The sustainability financial statements were prepared based on the projected PV of the estimated future revenue and
estimated future expenditures, primarily on a cash basis, for a 75-year period. The sustainability financial statements consist
of the: 1) SLTFP, covering all federal government programs and all sources of federal revenue; 2) SOSI; and 3) SCSIA.
New Standards Issued in Prior and Current Years and Implemented in Current Year
In FY 2016, the government began implementing the requirements of new standards related to the reporting for
inventory and related property, net and general PP&E. These standards are available to each reporting entity once per line
item addressed in the standard. The standards being implemented are:
• FASAB issued SFFAS No. 48, Opening Balances for Inventory, Operating Materials and Supplies, and Stockpile
Materials. SFFAS No. 48 permits a reporting entity to apply an alternative valuation method in establishing opening
balances and applies when a reporting entity is presenting financial statements, or one or more line items addressed
by this statement. SFFAS No. 48 was effective beginning in FY 2017. Early implementation was permitted. DOD
did partially implement in 2016 and select component entities have continued to implement in FY 2017 through FY
2023. DOD has not declared full implementation yet; therefore, this standard continues to be partially implemented
each year.
• FASAB issued SFFAS No. 50, Establishing Opening Balances for General Property, Plant and Equipment. SFFAS
No. 50 permits a reporting entity to apply an alternative valuation method in establishing opening balances and
applies when a reporting entity is presenting financial statements, or one or more line items addressed by this
statement. SFFAS No. 50 was effective beginning in FY 2017. Early implementation was permitted. DOD did
partially implement in 2016 and select component entities have continued to implement in FY 2017 through FY
2023. DOD has not declared full implementation yet; therefore, this standard continues to be partially implemented
each year.
In July 2021, FASAB issued SFFAS No. 59, Accounting and Reporting of Government Land. Per SFFAS No. 59,
starting in FY 2026, land and permanent land rights will no longer be capitalized, and the previously capitalized amounts will
be removed from the Balance Sheet. Also, starting in FY 2026, SFFAS No. 59 requires certain disclosures in the notes to the
financial statements, including estimated acreage of land and permanent land rights and its predominant use. For FY 2022
through FY 2025, such disclosures are required to be presented as RSI. These include:
• Estimated acres of general PP&E land and stewardship land using three predominant use sub-categories:
o Conservation and preservation land;
o Operational land; and
o Commercial use land.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 72
Generally, loan guarantees are recorded as a liability except when cash inflows are expected to exceed cash outflows on
a PV basis. This results in a negative loan guarantee that is reported as an asset on the Balance Sheet.
based on historical records such as expenditure data, contracts, budget information, and engineering documentation. When
applicable, DOD will continue to adopt SFFAS No. 50.
For financial reporting purposes, heritage assets (excluding multi-use heritage assets) and stewardship land are not
recorded as part of general PP&E. Since heritage assets are intended to be preserved as national treasures, it is anticipated
that they will be maintained in reasonable repair and that there will be no diminution in their usefulness over time. Many
assets are clearly heritage assets. For example, the National Park Service manages the Washington Monument, the Lincoln
Memorial and the Mall. Heritage assets that are predominantly used in general government operations are considered multi-
use heritage assets and are included in general PP&E. Stewardship land is also consistent with the treatment of heritage assets
in that much of the government’s land is held for the general welfare of the nation and is intended to be preserved and
protected. Stewardship land is land owned by the government but not acquired for or in connection with general PP&E.
Because most federal land is not directly related to general PP&E, it is deemed to be stewardship land and accordingly, it is
not reported on the Balance Sheet. Examples of stewardship land include national parks and forests. For additional
information on stewardship assets, see Note 26—Stewardship Property, Plant, and Equipment.
H. Investments
Most investments are reported at FV. FV is the estimate of the price at which an orderly transaction to sell the asset
would take place between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. Market or observable
inputs are used as the preferred source of values, followed by assumptions based on hypothetical transactions in absence of
market inputs. Certain investments rely on NAV as a practical expedient (i.e., priced without adjustments) to estimate their
FV. NAV is derived from the FV of the underlying investments as of the reporting date. See Note 7—Investments for
additional information.
the interest rate is based on two components; the index rate tied to the highest accepted discount rate of the most recent 13-
week marketable bill auction and the spread rate, which is the highest accepted discount rate determined at auction when the
FRN is first offered. TIPS, on the other hand, pay a semi-annual fixed rate of interest applied to the inflation-adjusted
principal. However, for all security types accrued interest is recorded as an expense when incurred, instead of when paid. See
Note 12—Federal Debt and Interest Payable for additional information.
P. Commitments
Commitments reflect binding agreements that may result in the future expenditure of financial resources that are not
recognized or not fully recognized on the Balance Sheet and should be disclosed. Examples of commitments include certain
long-term leases, undelivered orders, P3s, international or other agreements in support of international economic
development, or agreements in support of financial market stability. See Note 20—Commitments for additional information.
Q. Contingencies
Liabilities for contingencies are recognized on the Balance Sheet when both:
• A past transaction or event has occurred, and
• A future outflow or other sacrifice of resources is probable and measurable.
The estimated contingent liability may be a specific amount or a range of amounts. If some amount within the range is a
better estimate than any other amount within the range, then that amount is recognized. If no amount within the range is a
better estimate than any other amount, then the minimum amount in the range is recognized and the range and a description
of the nature of the contingency is disclosed.
A contingent liability is disclosed if any of the conditions for liability recognition do not meet the above criteria and
there is at least a reasonable possibility that a loss may be incurred. See Note 21—Contingencies for additional information.
V. Corrections of Errors
Corrections of errors in financial statements result from mathematical mistakes, mistakes in the application of
accounting principles, or oversight or misuse of facts that existed at the time financial statements were prepared. When
preparing comparative financial statements, if the material error occurred in the prior period presented and the effect is
known, then the affected line items of the prior period are restated. There were no material corrections of errors identified for
fiscal years ending September 30, 2023, and 2022.
W. Changes in Presentation
Changes in presentation are done to improve clarity of the presentation of the Financial Report and include changes
since the prior year that are not the result of corrections of errors or changes in accounting principles. In FY 2023, due to a
change in presentation of the reported unmatched transactions and balances on the Statement of Net Cost, Statement of
Operations and Changes in Net Position, and Unmatched Transactions and Balances in Other Information (unaudited), the
FY 2022 Statement of Net Cost was adjusted by $.1 billion to report the associated unmatched transactions and balances that
were previously reported on the Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Position unmatched transactions and balances
line and the buy/sell costs that were previously included in the gross cost recorded on the Statement of Net Cost. They are
now reported on the standalone unmatched transaction and balances line on the Statement of Net Cost. Additionally, the
Unmatched Transactions and Balances in Other Information (unaudited) was updated to show the details of the unmatched
transactions and balances by statement. For more information refer to the Statement of Net Cost, Statement of Operations and
Changes in Net Position, Reconciliation of Net Operating Cost and Budget Deficit, and Unmatched Transactions and
Balances in Other Information (unaudited). The FY 2022 presentation was modified to conform to the FY 2023 presentation.
X. Fiduciary Activities
Fiduciary activities are the collection or receipt, as well as the management, protection, accounting, investment and
disposition by the government of cash or other assets in which non-federal individuals or entities have an ownership interest
that the government must uphold. Fiduciary cash and other fiduciary assets are not assets of the government and are not
recognized on the Balance Sheet. See Note 23—Fiduciary Activities, for additional information.
Y. Use of Estimates
The government has made certain estimates and assumptions relating to the reporting of assets, liabilities, revenues,
expenses, and the disclosure of contingent liabilities to prepare these financial statements. There are a large number of factors
that affect these assumptions and estimates, which are inherently subject to substantial uncertainty arising from the likelihood
of future changes in general economic, regulatory, and market conditions. As such, actual results will differ from these
estimates and such differences may be material.
Significant transactions subject to estimates are included in the balance of loans receivable, net, federal employee and
veteran benefits payable, investments, investments in SPVs, investments in GSEs, tax receivables, receivables from
resolution activities, loan guarantee liabilities, depreciation, other actuarial liabilities, cost and earned revenue allocations, as
well as contingencies and any related recognized liabilities.
The government recognizes the sensitivity of credit reform modeling to slight changes in some model assumptions and
uses regular review of model factors, statistical modeling, and annual reestimates to reflect the most current cost estimate of
the credit programs to the U.S. government. Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 loan receivables and loan guarantees are
disclosed in Note 4—Loans Receivable, Net and Loan Guarantee Liabilities.
Estimates are also used to determine the FV of investments in SPVs and GSEs. The FV of the SPV preferred equity
investments is estimated based on a discounted cash flow valuation methodology, whereby the primary input is the PV of the
projected annual cash flows associated with these investments. The FV of the GSE senior preferred stock considers
forecasted cash flows to equity holders and the traded prices of the other equity securities, including the GSE’s common
stock and junior preferred stock. The value of the GSE senior preferred stock is estimated by first estimating the FV of the
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 80
total equity of each GSE (which, in addition to the GSE senior preferred stock, is comprised of other equity instruments
including common stock, common stock warrants, and junior preferred stock). The FV of the GSE total equity is based on a
discounted cash flow valuation methodology, whereby the primary input is the PV of the projected quarterly cash flows to
equity holders. The FV of the GSEs’ other equity instruments are then deducted from its total equity, with the remainder
representing the FV of the GSE senior preferred stock.
Factors impacting the FV of the GSE warrants include the nominal exercise price and the large number of potential
exercise shares, the market trading of the common stock that underlies the warrants as of September 30, the principal market,
and the market participants. Other factors impacting the FV of the GSE warrants include, the holding period risk related
directly to the assumption of the amount of time that it will take to sell the exercised shares without depressing the market.
For additional information on investments in SPVs and GSEs, see Note 7—Investments and Note 8—Investments in
Government-Sponsored Enterprises, respectively.
Treasury performs annual calculations, as of September 30, to assess the need for recording an estimated liability in
accordance with SFFAS No. 5, Accounting for Liabilities of The Federal Government, and to the government’s funding
commitment to the GSEs under the SPSPAs. For additional information on investments in GSEs and the amended SPSPAs,
see Note 8—Investments in Government-Sponsored Enterprises.
Z. Credit Risk
Credit risk is the potential, no matter how remote, for financial loss from a failure of a borrower or counterparty to
perform in accordance with underlying contractual obligations. The government takes on credit risk when it makes direct
loans or guarantees to non-federal entities, provides credits to foreign entities, or becomes exposed to institutions that engage
in financial transactions with foreign countries.
The government also takes on credit risk related to committed, but undisbursed direct loans, CARES Act Section 4003
COVID-19 credit program receivables, funding commitments to GSEs, CARES Act Section 4003 Section 13(3) funding
provided to Corporate Credit Facility LLC, MSF, MLF, TALF, and other activities. Many of these programs were developed
or provided credit support to the pandemic emergency relief programs of the Federal Reserve Board, to provide credit where
borrowers are not able to get access to credit with reasonable terms and conditions. These programs expose the government
to potential costs and losses. The extent of the risk assumed is described in more detail in the notes to the financial
statements, and where applicable, is factored into credit reform models and reflected in FV measurements.
The last category encompasses those treaties or other international agreements which result in contingencies that may
require recognition or disclosure in the financial statements. Such contingencies may stem from commitments in a treaty or
other international agreement to provide goods, services, or financial support when a future event occurs, or from litigation,
claims, or assessments forged by other parties to the agreement. For additional information related to treaties and other
international agreements that fall under the last category, refer to Note 21—Contingencies.
Cash and Other Monetary Assets as of September 30, 2023, and 2022
Unrestricted cash:
Cash held by Treasury for government-wide operations 638.9 617.0
Other 5.9 3.7
Restricted 56.3 46.8
Total cash 701.1 667.5
Unrestricted cash includes cash held by Treasury for government-wide operations (operating cash) and all other
unrestricted cash held by the federal entities. Operating cash represents balances from tax collections, federal debt receipts,
and other various receipts net of cash outflows for federal debt repayments and other payments. Treasury checks outstanding
are netted against operating cash until they are cleared by the FR System. Other unrestricted cash not included in Treasury’s
operating cash balance includes balances representing cash, cash equivalents, and other funds held by entities, such as
undeposited collections, deposits in transit, demand deposits, amounts held in trust, and imprest funds.
Restrictions on cash are due to the imposition on cash deposits by law, regulation, or agreement. Restricted cash is
primarily composed of cash held by the SAA, which executes Foreign Military Sales. The SAA included $46.1 billion and
$39.9 billion as of September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
International monetary assets include the U.S. reserve position in the IMF and additional U.S. holdings of SDR. The
U.S. reserve position in the IMF (denominated in SDRs) had a U.S. dollar equivalent of $32.0 billion and $31.3 billion as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively. Only a portion of the U.S. financial subscription to the IMF is made in the form
of reserve assets; the remainder is provided in the form of a letter of credit. The balance available under the letter of credit
totaled $76.6 billion and $74.4 billion as of September 30, 2023, and 2022 respectively. The total amount of SDR holdings of
the U.S. (in addition to the reserve position discussed above) resulting from additional IMF allocations and purchases was the
equivalent of $163.2 billion and $153.6 billion as of September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively. For more information
regarding the U.S. participation in the IMF and SDR, see Treasury’s financial statements and Note 27—Disclosure Entities
and Related Parties.
The gold reserves that are held by the government are partially offset by a liability for gold certificates issued by the
Secretary to the FRBs at the statutory rate. As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, gold totaling $11.0 billion per statutory
carrying value was pledged as collateral for gold certificates also valued at $11.0 billion. All the gold certificates issued are
payable to the FRBs, and a small portion of gold is in the custody of the FRBs. Additionally, the U.S. Mint holds 100,000
FTOs of gold without certificates. The amount for gold and silver listed in the above table is based on the statutory values
which are $42.2222 per FTO of gold and $1.2929 per FTO of silver. As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, the number of
FTOs of gold and silver held is 261,498,927.0 and 16,000,000.0, respectively. While gold and silver are valued on the
Balance Sheet using statutory rates, the market value of gold on the London Fixing was $1,870.50 and $1,671.75 per FTO as
of September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively and the market value of silver was $23.08 and $19.02 per FTO as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively. Please refer to the financial statements of Treasury for additional information
regarding gold reserves and Treasury’s liability for gold.
The foreign currency is maintained by Treasury’s ESF and various U.S. federal entities as well as foreign banks.
Foreign currency is translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate at fiscal year-end.
83 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Taxes receivable:
Taxes receivable, gross 419.4 451.4
Allowance for uncollectible amounts (228.7) (205.7)
Taxes receivable, net 190.7 245.7
Taxes receivable is listed first above due to being the significant portion of total accounts receivable, and the rest are
referred to as other accounts receivable. Other accounts receivable, gross includes related interest receivable of $4.2 billion
and $2.8 billion as of September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
Treasury comprises approximately 57.7 percent of the government’s reported accounts receivable, net, as of September
30, 2023. Treasury accounts for nearly all the reported taxes receivable, which consist of receivables (taxes and associated
penalties and interest) supported by a taxpayer agreement, unpaid taxes related to IRC section 965, and deferred payments
resulting from the CARES Act. Examples of receivables supported by a taxpayer agreement are the filing of a tax return
without sufficient payment or a court ruling in favor of the IRS. Section 965(h) of the IRC requires taxpayers who are
shareholders of certain specified foreign corporations to pay a transition tax on foreign earnings as if those earnings had been
repatriated to the U.S. IRC 965(h) allows taxpayers to elect to pay their tax on an eight-year installment schedule. Pursuant to
the CARES Act, employers, through December 31, 2020, could defer payment, without penalty, of their portions of the
Social Security segment of FICA and the employer’s and employee representative’s share of the Railroad Retirement Tax.
Treasury experienced a year over year net decrease of $53.0 billion primarily due to the reduction in IRC 965(h) and to
payments to Treasury of the deferred employer portion of FICA Social Security taxes. Additionally, the $21 billion increase
to Treasury’s allowance for uncollectible amounts was largely due to an increase in delinquent taxes receivable inventory.
Pursuant to Section 13(c)(4)(G) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, on March 12, 2023, the Secretary of the Treasury
invoked the statutory systemic risk exception to allow the FDIC to complete its resolution of both Silicon Valley Bank, Santa
Clara, California, and Signature Bank, New York, New York, in a manner that protects uninsured depositors. Accordingly,
the FDIC imposed a special assessment on all insured depository institutions to recover the loss to the DIF arising from the
protection of uninsured depositors. This $16.3 billion receivable was a factor in the year over year increase to other accounts
receivable, gross.
The following entities are the main contributors to the government’s reported accounts receivable, net as of September
30, 2023. Refer to each entity’s financial statements for additional information:
• Treasury • DOI • DOJ
• HHS • DOL • USPS
• FDIC • PBGC • HUD
• DOD • VA • FCC
• DHS • DOE • SEC
• SSA • OPM • EPA
• USDA • TVA • FCSIC
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 84
Subsidy
Expense
Loans Subsidy Loans (Income)
Receivable, Interest Foreclosed Cost Receivable, for the
(In billions of dollars) Gross Receivable Property Allowance Net Fiscal Year
1
Treasury purchased a $50 billion note issued by a trust created by FDIC in its receivership capacity and guaranteed by FDIC in its
corporate capacity.
Subsidy
Expense
Loans Subsidy Loans (Income)
Receivable, Interest Foreclosed Cost Receivable, for the
(In billions of dollars) Gross Receivable Property Allowance Net Fiscal Year
Loans Receivable
Loans receivable consists primarily of direct loans disbursed by the government, receivables related to guaranteed loans
that have defaulted, and certain receivables for guaranteed loans that the government has purchased from lenders. Direct
loans are used to promote the nation’s welfare by making financing available to segments of the population not served
adequately by non-federal institutions, or otherwise providing for certain activities or investments. For those unable to afford
85 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
credit at the market rate, federal credit programs provide subsidies in the form of direct loans offered at an interest rate lower
than the market rate.
The amount of the long-term cost of post-1991 direct loans equals the subsidy cost allowance for direct loans as of
September 30. The amount of the long-term cost of pre-1992 direct loans equals the allowance for subsidy amounts (or PV
allowance) for direct loans. The long-term cost is based on all direct loans disbursed in this fiscal year and previous years that
are outstanding as of September 30. It includes the subsidy cost of these direct loans estimated as of the time of loan
disbursement and subsequent adjustments such as modifications, reestimates, amortizations, and write-offs.
Loans receivable, net includes related interest and foreclosed property. Foreclosed property is property that is
transferred from borrowers to a federal credit program, through foreclosure or other means, in partial or full settlement of
post-1991 direct loans or as compensation for losses that the government sustained under post-1991 loan guarantees. Please
refer to the financial statements of HUD, USDA, and VA for additional information regarding foreclosed property.
The total subsidy expense/(income) is the cost recognized during the fiscal year. It consists of the subsidy
expense/(income) incurred for direct loans disbursed during the fiscal year, for modifications made during the fiscal year of
direct loans outstanding, and for upward or downward reestimates as of the end of the fiscal year. This expense/(income) is
included in the Statements of Net Cost.
The majority of loans receivable programs are provided by Education, SBA, HUD, and USDA. For additional
information regarding the direct loan programs listed in the tables above, please refer to the financial statements of the
entities.
Education has loan programs that are authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The William D. Ford
Federal Direct Loan Program (referred to as the Direct Loan Program), was established in FY 1994 and offers four types of
educational loans: Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students, and consolidation loans. With
this program, the government makes loans directly to students and parents through participating institutions of higher
education. Education disbursed approximately $122.3 billion in direct loans to eligible borrowers in FY 2023 and
approximately $120.4 billion in FY 2022. In FY 2023, there was a $214.3 billion increase in Education’s Federal Direct Loan
program primarily due to the combination of 1) broad based debt relief announced in FY 2022 causing a decrease in the net
loans receivable reported in FY 2022; and 2) an increase in the net loans receivable balance during FY 2023 largely due to a
downward modification to reverse the inclusion of student loan debt relief as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling on June
30, 2023. In FY 2023, there were also upward modifications of $23.3 billion related to COVID-19 administrative actions. In
addition, Education stopped all federal wage garnishments and collection actions for borrowers with federally held loans in
default. For additional information regarding the CARES Act refer to the financial statements of Education and Note 29—
COVID-19 Activity.
The SBA makes loans to microloan intermediaries and provides a direct loan program that assists homeowners, renters
and businesses recover from disasters. SBA’s Disaster Assistance Loan Program makes direct loans to disaster survivors
under four categories: physical disaster loans to repair or replace damaged homes and personal property; physical disaster
loans to businesses of any size; EIDLs to eligible small business and nonprofit organizations without credit available
elsewhere; and economic injury loans to eligible small businesses affected by essential employees called up to active duty in
the military reserves. In FY 2023, SBA’s credit program receivables saw a decrease of $49.6 billion from FY 2022 from a
decrease in direct disaster loans as a result of disaster lending activity returning to a comparable level with the pre-pandemic
period due to the EIDL program no longer approving loans for COVID-19 in FY 2023, recoupment of loans previously
dispersed, and current year write-offs.
HUD’s loans receivable balance largely comprises defaulted single-family mortgages and reverse mortgages that were
insured by FHA. In addition, HUD finances mortgages and provides loans to support construction and rehabilitation of low-
rent housing, principally for the elderly and disabled.
USDA’s Rural Development offers direct loans with unique missions to bring prosperity and opportunity to rural areas.
The Rural Housing programs provide affordable, safe, and sanitary housing and essential community facilities to rural
communities. Rural Utility programs help improve the quality of life in rural areas through a variety of loan programs for
electric energy, telecommunications, and water and environmental projects.
In FY 2023, Treasury purchased a $50 billion note guaranteed by the FDIC in its corporate capacity as deposit insurer
and regulator. FDIC as Receiver for the First Republic Bank created a trust and sold a PMN to the trust. JPMorgan had issued
the PMN to the FDIC as Receiver for the First Republic Bank in connection with the resolution of the First Republic Bank
and JPMorgan’s acquisition of certain assets and liabilities of First Republic Bank. The PMN, which matures in 2028, is full-
recourse to JPMorgan and is collateralized by a pool of mortgage loans acquired by JPMorgan through the related
receivership and sale of First Republic Bank. Cash flows from the PMN will be used to repay the principal and interest due
on the Treasury-purchased note issued by the trust. The Treasury-purchased note principal is due to Treasury from the trust
on May 4, 2028, with semi-annual interest payments at 4.445% beginning May 2024. The Treasury-purchased note is
recorded at cost ($50 billion) and considered to be fully collectable by Treasury based on the following factors: 1)
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 86
JPMorgan’s strength as a counterparty and commitment under the PMN; 2) over-collateralization of the PMN’s underlying
collateral; 3) a funded reserve account to cover shortfalls in interest owed on the Treasury-purchased note relative to the
PMN; and 4) an option to prepay the note at par prior to maturity. For information on additional receivership activity see
Note 30—Subsequent Events.
All other programs saw an increase of $31.2 billion in FY 2023 largely due to fluctuations in loan programs for HUD,
DOT, and DFC. The increase in HUD’s Other Non-Credit Reform Loans of $19.5 billion is primarily due to Ginnie Mae’s
new Home Equity Conversion Mortgage portfolio, as a result of the Reverse Mortgage Funding issuer default.
Principal
Principal Amount Amount Subsidy Expense
Loan Guarantee of Loans Under Guaranteed (Income) for the
Liabilities Guarantee by the U.S. Fiscal Year
(In billions of dollars) 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022 2023 2022
1
Loan guarantees are recorded as a liability except when cash inflows are expected to exceed cash outflows on a PV basis.
This results in a negative loan guarantee that is reported as an asset on the Balance Sheet.
The SBA provides guarantees that help small businesses obtain bank loans and licensed companies to make investments
in qualifying small businesses. Their business loan programs include the Loan Guaranty program in which the SBA
guaranties up to 90 percent of the amount of loans made by participating banks and other lending institutions to eligible small
businesses not able to obtain credit elsewhere. The CARES Act added the PPP which was designed to provide a direct
incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. SBA’s Loan Guarantee Liabilities decreased $17.8 billion
primarily because of claim payments to lenders and miscellaneous recoveries in FY 2023, which are mostly attributable to
PPP purchase guarantee and forgiveness payments. As of September 2023, over 10.6 million applications have been
submitted requesting PPP loan forgiveness, with nearly $760.0 billion total forgiveness paid. Approximately 96 percent of
total PPP loan value has been forgiven, in full or in part.
Education has loan programs that are authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The FFEL Program
was established in FY 1965 and operates through state and private, nonprofit guaranty agencies that provided loan guarantees
on loans made by private lenders to eligible students. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which was enacted as
part of the Health Care Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152), eliminated the authority to guarantee new
FFEL after June 30, 2010.
VA operates the following loan guarantee programs: Housing Guaranteed Loans and Loan Sale Guarantees. The Home
Loans program provides loan guarantees to veterans, service members, qualifying dependents, and limited non-veterans to
purchase homes and retain homeownership with favorable market terms.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 88
Inventory and Related Property, net as of September 30, 2023, and 2022
Inventory and related property, net includes inventory, OM&S, stockpile materials, forfeited property, commodities,
seized property, and foreclosed property. DOD comprises approximately 80.7 percent of the government’s inventory and
related property, net as of September 30, 2023.
Inventory is tangible personal property that is either held for sale, in the process of production for sale, or to be
consumed in the production of goods for sale or in the provision of services for a fee. Examples of inventory include raw
materials, finished goods, spare and repair parts, clothing and textiles, and fuels.
Inventory is categorized as one of the following:
• Held for current sale – includes items currently for sale or transfer to either entities outside the federal government,
or other federal entities.
• Held in reserve for future sale – includes items being held for sale or transfer to either entities outside the federal
government or other federal entities in the future.
• Held for repair – items that require servicing to make them suitable for sale or use.
• Excess, obsolete, and unserviceable – stock that exceeds the demand expected in the normal course of operations,
items that are no longer needed, and damaged items.
OM&S consists of tangible personal property to be consumed in normal operations (e.g., spare and repair parts,
ammunition, and tactical missiles) and is categorized as one of the above categories or in the additional listed category below:
• Held in reserve for future sale or use – items maintained because they are not readily available in the market or
because there is more than a remote chance that they will eventually be needed.
Stockpile materials are strategic and critical materials held due to statutory requirements for use in national defense,
conservation, or local/national emergencies. Stockpile materials are not held with the intent of selling in the ordinary course
of business and are restricted unless released by congressional action. Once authorized, the materials (e.g., ores, metals,
alloys, and medical supplies) are reclassified to held for sale. Refer to the financial statements of DOD, DOE, and HHS for
additional information regarding stockpile materials.
Other related property includes the following:
• Forfeited property consists of monetary instruments, intangible property, real property, and tangible personal
property acquired through forfeiture proceedings; property acquired by the government to satisfy a tax liability; and
unclaimed and abandoned merchandise. Please refer to the financial statements of DOJ and Treasury for additional
information regarding forfeited property.
• Goods acquired under price support and stabilization programs are referred to as commodities. Commodities are
items of commerce or trade having an exchange value. Please refer to the financial statements of USDA for
additional information regarding commodities.
89 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
• Seized property includes monetary instruments, real property, and tangible personal property of others in the actual
or constructive possession of the custodial entity. For additional information on seized property, refer to the
financial statements of DOJ and Treasury.
• Foreclosed property consists of any asset received in satisfaction of a loan receivable or as a result of payment of a
claim under a guaranteed or insured loan (excluding commodities acquired under price support programs). For
additional information on foreclosed property, see Note 4—Loans Receivable, Net and Loan Guarantee Liabilities
and refer to the financial statements of USDA, VA, and HUD.
Additional information concerning inventory and related property can be obtained from the financial statements of
DOD, DOE, Treasury, HHS, and DHS.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 90
General Property, Plant, and Equipment, net as of September 30, 2023, and 2022
Accumulated Accumulated
Depreciation/ Depreciation/
Cost Amortization Net Cost Amortization Net
(In billions of dollars) 2023 2022
Buildings, structures, and facilities 754.0 448.7 305.3 720.0 421.6 298.4
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment 1,457.6 891.3 566.3 1,442.5 868.2 574.3
Construction in progress 297.8 N/A 297.8 260.4 N/A 260.4
Internal use software 69.3 43.3 26.0 66.1 40.9 25.2
Land 22.9 N/A 22.9 22.4 N/A 22.4
Other general property, plant, and equipment 36.5 19.8 16.7 35.2 18.4 16.8
Total general property, plant, and equipment,
net 2,638.1 1,403.1 1,235.0 2,546.6 1,349.1 1,197.5
General PP&E consists of tangible assets, including land. Internal use software, land rights, assets acquired through
capital leases, and leasehold improvements are also included. DOD comprises approximately 67.4 percent of the
government’s reported general PP&E, net as of September 30, 2023. DOD continues to implement SFFAS No. 50,
Establishing Opening Balances for General Property, Plant, and Equipment which permits alternative methods in
establishing opening balances for general PP&E and has elected to exclude land and land rights. The total acreage excluded
was 23,463,823 as of September 30, 2023, and 22,958,006 as of September 30, 2022. Differences year over year are due to
DOD understating general PP&E due to asset balances that had a change in acquisition cost, change in acquisition date,
retrospective depreciation adjustments, and unrecorded asset transfers in prior years.
The following entities are the main contributors to the government’s reported general PP&E net of $1,235.0 billion as of
September 30, 2023. Please refer to each entity’s financial statements for additional information.
• DOD • DOI • VA
• DOE • USPS • TVA
• GSA • DHS • State
• DOC • USDA • DOJ
• Treasury • SSA • DOT
• HHS • NASA
Certain PP&E are multi-use heritage assets, see Note 26—Stewardship Property, Plant, and Equipment for additional
information on multi-use heritage assets. Please refer to DM&R and Land and Permanent Land Rights located in the
unaudited RSI for information concerning the estimated maintenance and repair costs related to PP&E and the federal
estimated acreage by predominant use.
91 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 7. Investments
PBGC, NRRIT, TVA, and Smithsonian apply financial accounting and reporting standards issued by FASB and such
entities, as permitted by SFFAS No. 47, Reporting Entity are consolidated into the U.S. government’s consolidated financial
statements without conversion to accounting and reporting standards issued by FASAB. PBGC, NRRIT, and TVA also hold
investments in Treasury securities which are not included in the above tables, as such investments are eliminated in
consolidation.
PBGC insures pension benefits of participants in covered single-employer and multiemployer defined benefit pension
plans and values its financial assets at estimated FV consistent with the standards issued by FASB. PBGC’s investments are
used to pay future benefits of covered participants.
93 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NRRIT on behalf of the RRB, manages and invests railroad retirement assets that are to be used to pay retirement
benefits to the nation’s railroad workers under the Railroad Retirement System. As an investment company, NRRIT is
subject to accounting standards for investment companies issued by FASB.
Treasury’s investments consist of foreign currency holdings invested in interest bearing securities issued or held through
foreign governments or monetary authorities, SPVs, and common stock warrants that include non-federal investment
holdings acquired pursuant to the establishment of emergency relief programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that
are valued at FV. Common stock warrants provide Treasury with the right to purchase shares of common stock of either
publicly or non-publicly traded air carriers.
TVA’s investments consist of amounts held in the Nuclear Decommissioning Trust, Asset Retirement Trust,
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan, Deferred Compensation Plan, and Restoration Plan. TVA’s qualified benefit
pension plan is funded with qualified plan assets.
Certain other investments reported by DOD represent joint ventures with private developers constructing or improving
military housing on behalf of the department. Refer to Note 28—Public-Private Partnerships for additional information.
Please refer to PBGC, NRRIT, TVA, Treasury, DOD, and Smithsonian’s financial statements for additional information
on these investments and FV measurement.
Investments in Special Purpose Vehicles
The SPVs were established by FRBNY and FRBB for the purpose of making loans, purchasing debt, and other
commercial paper of eligible entities affected by COVID-19. The valuation to estimate the investment’s FV incorporates
forecasts, projections, and cash flow analyses. Changes in valuation, including impairments, are deemed usual and recurring
and thus are recorded as exchange transactions on the Statement of Net Cost and investments on the Balance Sheet. For
additional information regarding the recording of revenue and the changes in valuation refer to Treasury’s financial
statements.
Certain lending facilities were implemented through SPVs, which consist of the MSF, MLF, and TALF. The MSF
supports lending to small and medium-sized businesses that were in sound financial condition before the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic and have good post-pandemic prospects. The MLF helps state and local governments manage cash
flow pressures while continuing to serve households and businesses in their communities. The TALF supports the flow of
credit to consumers and businesses for purposes of stabilizing the U.S. financial system. As of January 8, 2021, the SPVs
have ceased purchasing of loan participations, eligible notes, and no new credit extensions have been made. For additional
information regarding the SPVs refer to Treasury’s financial statements and to Note 27—Disclosure Entities and Related
Parties.
Fair Value Measurement
Investments are recorded at FV and have been categorized based upon a FV hierarchy, in accordance with FASB ASC
Topic 820. FV is a market-based measurement. For some assets, observable market transactions or market information might
be available. For other assets, observable market transactions and market information might not be available. However, the
objective of a FV measurement in both cases is the same—to estimate the price at which an orderly transaction to sell the
asset would take place between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions.
When a price for an identical asset is not observable, a reporting entity measures FV using another valuation technique
that maximizes the use of relevant observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. Because FV is a market-
based measurement, it is measured using the assumptions that market participants would use when pricing the asset,
including assumptions about risk. As a result, a reporting entity’s intention to hold an asset is not relevant when measuring
FV.
The measurement of FV of an asset is categorized with different levels of FV hierarchy as follows:
• Level 1—Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets that the reporting entity can access at the
measurement date.
• Level 2—Inputs other than quoted prices included with Level 1 that are based on observable market data (quoted
prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in
inactive markets), or that are either directly or indirectly observable for substantially the full term of the asset or
liability.
• Level 3—Inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall FV measurement.
• Other—This category contains investments in certain commingled funds and partnerships that are measured at FV
using NAV practical expedient that are not classified within the FV hierarchy and joint ventures. Please refer to
PBGC, NRRIT, TVA, and Smithsonian’s financial statements for additional information on investments priced by
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 94
NAV per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient and DOD’s financial statements for additional information
about joint ventures.
95 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Cumulative
Gross Valuation Fair
(In billions of dollars) Investments Gain/(Loss) Value
Cumulative
Gross Valuation Fair
(In billions of dollars) Investments Gain/(Loss) Value
Congress established Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as GSEs to provide stability and increase liquidity in the secondary
mortgage market and to promote access to mortgage credit throughout the nation. A key function of the GSEs is to purchase
mortgages, package those mortgages into securities, which are subsequently sold to investors, and guarantee the timely
payment of principal and interest on these securities.
Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-289) in July 2008 in response to the
financial crisis that year and the increasingly difficult conditions in the housing market which challenged the soundness and
profitability of the GSEs and thereby threatened to undermine the entire housing market. This Act created FHFA, with
enhanced regulatory authority over the GSEs, and provided the Secretary of the Treasury with certain authorities intended to
ensure the financial stability of the GSEs, if necessary. In September 2008, FHFA placed the GSEs under conservatorship
and Treasury invested in the GSEs by entering into a SPSPA with each GSE. These actions were taken to preserve the GSEs’
assets, ensure a sound and solvent financial condition, and mitigate systemic risks that contributed to market instability.
The purpose of such actions is to maintain the solvency of the GSEs so they can continue to fulfill their vital roles in the
mortgage market while the Administration and Congress determine what structural changes should be made to the housing
finance system. Draws under the SPSPAs would result in an increased investment in the GSEs as further discussed below.
Under SFFAS No. 47, Reporting Entity criteria, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were owned or controlled by the government
only as a result of: a) regulatory actions (such as organizations in receivership or conservatorship); or b) other government
intervention actions. Under the regulatory or other intervention actions, the relationship with the government was and is not
expected to be permanent. These entities are classified as disclosure entities based on their characteristics as a whole.
Accordingly, these entities are not consolidated into the government’s consolidated financial statements; however, the value
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 96
of the investments in these entities, changes in value, and related activity with these entities are included in the government’s
consolidated financial statements. The net change in valuations of the GSEs include both liquidation preference adjustments
and changes in FV, both of which are discussed below and are included on the Statement of Net Cost.
Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements
In return for committing to maintain the GSEs’ solvency by making a quarterly advance of funds to each GSE in an
amount equal to any excess of the GSEs’ total liabilities over its total assets as of the end of the previous quarter, Treasury
initially received from each GSE: 1) 1,000,000 shares of non-voting variable liquidation preference senior preferred stock
with a liquidation preference value of $1,000 per share; and 2) a non-transferable warrant for the purchase, at a nominal cost,
of 79.9 percent of common stock on a fully-diluted basis. The warrants expire on September 7, 2028. Treasury was entitled to
distributions on the senior preferred stock equal to 10.0 percent per annum fixed rate dividend on the total liquidation
preference (as discussed below). This dividend structure was changed in the third amendment in August 2012 to a variable
equivalent to the GSEs’ positive net worth above a capital reserve amount. The capital reserve amount was initially set at
$3.0 billion for calendar year 2013 and, upon nearing its scheduled decline to zero, was reset at $3.0 billion in calendar year
2017. On September 27, 2019, Treasury and FHFA amended the SPSPAs to increase the capital reserve amounts of Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac to $25.0 billion and $20.0 billion, respectively. In exchange, Treasury’s liquidation preference in each
GSE was scheduled to gradually increase quarterly up to the adjusted capital reserve amounts based on the quarterly earnings
of each GSE.
On January 14, 2021, Treasury and FHFA further amended the SPSPAs to replace the prior variable dividend with an
alternative compensation plan for Treasury that permits the GSEs to continue their recapitalization efforts, as prescribed by
the GSE capital framework finalized by FHFA in 2020. Under the amended SPSPAs, each GSE is permitted to retain capital
until the GSE has achieved its regulatory minimum capital requirement, including buffers (i.e., the capital reserve end date),
at which point its cash dividend obligations will resume along with the obligation to pay a periodic commitment fee. As
compensation to Treasury for the replacement of the variable dividend, the liquidation preference of Treasury’s senior
preferred stock in each GSE will increase by the amount of retained capital until each GSE has achieved its capital reserve
end date.
Additionally, the January 14 amendment, among other things, imposed restrictions on certain GSE business activities,
including purchases of loans backed by investment properties, second homes, and multifamily properties, and on purchases
of loans with multiple high-risk characteristics or for cash consideration. On September 14, 2021, Treasury and FHFA agreed
to suspend certain business activity restrictions added to the SPSPAs by the January 14 amendment while FHFA undertakes a
review of the extent to which these requirements are redundant or inconsistent with existing FHFA standards, policies, and
directives. The suspension will terminate six months after Treasury notifies the GSEs. As of September 30, 2023, Treasury
has not provided notice to GSEs to terminate the suspension.
For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, Treasury’s liquidation preference in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
increased by $12.6 billion and $7.9 billion, respectively. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022, Treasury’s liquidation
preference in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac increased by $19.1 billion and $11.7 billion, respectively. The GSEs will not pay
a quarterly dividend until after the capital reserve end date. Treasury received no cash dividends for the fiscal years ended
September 30, 2023, and 2022, as the GSEs had not achieved their capital reserve end date as of September 30, 2023, and
their positive net worth was below the permitted capital reserve amounts as of September 30, 2023.
The SPSPAs, which have no expiration date, require that Treasury will disburse funds to either GSE if, at the end of any
quarter, the FHFA determines that the liabilities of either GSE exceed its assets. Draws from Treasury under the SPSPAs are
designed to ensure that the GSEs maintain positive net worth, with a fixed maximum amount available to each GSE under
this agreement established as of December 31, 2012 (refer to the “Contingent Liability to GSEs” section below and Note
21—Contingencies). Draws against the funding commitment of the SPSPAs do not result in the issuance of additional shares
of senior preferred stock; instead, they increase the liquidation preference of the initial 1,000,000 shares by the amount of the
draw. The combined cumulative liquidation preference totaled $305.0 billion and $284.0 billion as of September 30, 2023,
and 2022, respectively. There were no payments to the GSEs for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and 2022.
97 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Regulatory Environment
To date, Congress has not passed legislation nor has FHFA taken action to end the GSEs’ conservatorships. The GSEs
continue to operate under the direction of FHFA as conservator.
The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-78) was funded by an increase of ten basis points
in the GSEs’ guarantee fees (referred to as “the incremental fees”) which began in April 2012 and extended by the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-58) through September 30, 2032. The incremental fees are remitted
to Treasury and not retained by the GSEs and, thus, do not affect the profitability of the GSEs. For fiscal years ended 2023
and 2022, the GSEs remitted to Treasury incremental fees totaling $6.2 billion and $5.8 billion, respectively.
99 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Advances and prepayments are assets that represent funds disbursed in contemplation of the future performance of
services, receipt of goods, the incurrence of expenditures, or the receipt of other assets. These include advances to
contractors, grantees, Medicare providers, and state, local, territorial, and tribal governments; travel advances; and
prepayments for items such as rents, taxes, insurance, royalties, commissions, and supplies.
Until such time as the goods or services are received, contract terms are met or progress has been made, or prepaid
expenses expired these should be recorded as assets. Any amounts that are subject to a refund at the time of completion
should be transferred to accounts receivable.
Treasury had a large decrease to advances and prepayments due to additional liquidation of advances primarily paid to
state, local, territorial, and tribal governments pursuant to the COVID-19 related legislations enacted during FY 2021 and
2020.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 100
Other assets are miscellaneous assets that are not reported elsewhere on the Balance Sheet (e.g., receivables from
resolution activity, regulatory assets, investments, and costs related to special projects).
FDIC insures the deposits of insured depository institutions and resolves failed institutions upon appointment of FDIC
as receiver. FDIC, as receiver, is responsible for managing and disposing of the assets of failed institutions in an orderly and
efficient manner. The receivables from resolutions result from payments to cover insured depositors of failed institutions,
advances to resolution entities (receiverships, conservatorships, and bridge institutions) for working capital, and
administrative expenses paid on behalf of resolution entities. Assets held by resolution entities are the main source of
repayment of FDIC’s receivables from resolution activity. Estimates are made for the valuation of the assets held by
resolution entities to compute the allowance for credit losses, including FDIC’s estimate of future payments on losses
incurred on assets sold to an acquiring institution under a shared-loss agreement. Multiple insured institutions failed
throughout FY 2023, including Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank of New York, First Republic Bank, and Heartland Tri-
State Bank. These failures caused the net of receivables from resolution activity to increase from $0.6 billion as of September
30, 2022, to $158.4 billion as of September 30, 2023.
The FDIC’s estimated cash recoveries are based on asset recovery rates from several sources, which may include the
following: actual or pending institution-specific asset disposition data, failed institution-specific asset valuation data,
aggregate asset valuation data on several recently failed or troubled institutions, sampled asset valuation data, and empirical
asset recovery data based on failures since 2007. Methodologies for determining the asset recovery rates incorporate
estimating future cash recoveries, net of applicable liquidation cost estimates, and discounting based on market-based risk
factors applicable to a given asset’s type and quality. The resulting estimated asset recoveries are then used to derive the
allowance for credit losses on the receivables from these resolutions. Estimated asset recoveries on assets in liquidation are
regularly evaluated during the year but remain subject to uncertainties because of potential changes in economic and market
conditions, which may cause the actual recoveries to vary significantly from current estimates. Losses on the covered assets
are shared between the acquirer of the failed institution and the FDIC, in its receivership capacity, of the failed institution
when losses occur through the sale, foreclosure, loan modification, or write-down of loans in accordance with the terms of
the shared-loss agreement. The agreements cover a seven- to eight-year period with the receiver covering 50 to 95 percent of
the losses incurred by the acquiring bank. The estimated shared-loss liability is accounted for by the receiver and is included
in the calculation of the allowance for credit losses against the corporate receivable from the resolution. The allowance for
credit losses increased from $50.0 billion as of September 30, 2022, to $67.1 billion as of September 30, 2023.
DOE and TVA record regulatory assets in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 980, Regulated Operations. The
provisions of this standard require that regulated enterprises reflect rate actions of the regulator in their financial statements,
when appropriate. These rate actions can provide reasonable assurance of the existence of an asset, reduce or eliminate the
value of an asset, or impose a liability on a regulated enterprise. In order to defer incurred costs under FASB ASC Topic 980,
a regulated entity must have the statutory authority to establish rates that recover all costs, and those rates must be charged to
and collected from customers. If rates should become market-based, FASB ASC Topic 980 would no longer be applicable,
and all the deferred costs under that standard would be expensed. DOE’s BPA is responsible for repaying Treasury for
transmission and power-generating assets owned by other entities based on this deferred cost. Other regulatory assets for
DOE include BPA’s fixed schedule of benefit payments for investor-owned utility customers, repayment of debt for
terminated nuclear projects, and deferred energy conservation measures relating to fish and wildlife. TVA’s regulatory assets
represent incurred costs that have been deferred because such costs are probable of future recovery in customer rates.
101 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Items included in other are investments in MDB, DOC’s cost contribution to buildout/continuing enhancement of the
NPSBN, DOE’s operating non-federal generation, and derivative assets. Additional information concerning other assets can
be obtained from the financial statements of FDIC, DOE, TVA, Treasury, DOC, and OPM.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 102
Accounts payable includes amounts due for goods and property ordered and received, services rendered by other than
federal employees, cancelled appropriations for which the U.S. government has contractual commitments for payment, and
non-debt related interest payable.
103 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Federal Debt and Interest Payable as of September 30, 2023, and 2022 (held by the public)
Average Interest
Net Rate
(In billions of dollars) 2022 Change 2023 2023 2022
Treasury securities:
Marketable securities:
Treasury bills 3,643.7 1,615.6 5,259.3 5.4% 2.5%
Treasury notes 13,696.5 28.4 13,724.9 2.1% 1.6%
Treasury bonds 3,867.7 372.5 4,240.2 3.1% 3.0%
Treasury inflation-protected securities
(TIPS) 1,839.8 95.1 1,934.9 0.6% 0.5%
Treasury floating rate notes (FRN) 625.9 (50.4) 575.5 5.0% 3.3%
Total marketable Treasury securities 23,673.6 2,061.2 25,734.8
Agency securities:
Tennessee Valley Authority 19.0 0.3 19.3
Total agency securities, net of unamortized
premiums and discounts 19.0 0.3 19.3
Federal debt held by the public consists of securities outside the government held by individuals, corporations, state or
local governments, FRBs, foreign governments, and other non-federal entities. The above table details government borrowing
primarily to finance operations and shows marketable and nonmarketable securities at face value less net unamortized
premiums and discounts including accrued interest.
Securities that represent federal debt held by the public are issued primarily by Treasury and include:
• Interest-bearing marketable securities (bills, notes, bonds, inflation-protected, and FRN).
• Interest-bearing nonmarketable securities (Government Account Series held by fiduciary and certain deposit funds,
foreign series, SLGS, domestic series, and savings bonds).
• Non-interest-bearing marketable and nonmarketable securities (matured and other).
In FY 2020, Treasury expanded its domestic series to include a new special nonmarketable Treasury security, known as
a SPV security. Treasury issued these securities to SPVs, which were established by the Federal Reserve to implement its
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 104
emergency lending facilities under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. An SPV
security is a demand deposit certificate of indebtedness for which interest accrues daily and is paid at redemption. The total
amount of SPV redemptions in FY 2023 and 2022 was $4.0 billion and $7.0 billion, including $0.5 billion and $0.1 billion in
capitalized interest, respectively. There were no new issuances of SPV securities in FY 2023 and 2022. As of September 30,
2023, and 2022, the total amount of SPV securities outstanding was $11.9 billion and $15.4 billion, respectively.
Gross federal debt, with some adjustments, is the sum of debt held by the public and intra-governmental debt holdings
(discussed on the next page) and is subject to a statutory ceiling (i.e., the debt limit). Prior to 1917, Congress approved each
debt issuance. In 1917, to facilitate planning in World War I, Congress and the President first enacted a statutory dollar
ceiling for federal borrowing. With the Public Debt Act of 1941 (P.L. 77-7), Congress and the President set an overall limit of
$65.0 billion on Treasury debt obligations that could be outstanding at any one time; since then, Congress and the President
have enacted a number of debt limit increases.
Beginning in FY 2021 and continuing into FY 2022 and again in FY 2023, Treasury faced two delays in raising the debt
limit that required it to depart from its normal debt management procedures and invoke legal authorities to avoid exceeding
the statutory debt limit. During these periods, extraordinary actions taken by Treasury resulted in federal debt securities not
being issued to certain federal government accounts with the securities being restored, including lost interest, to the affected
government accounts subsequent to the end of the delay period. During the first delay, Treasury took extraordinary actions
from August 2, 2021, through December 15, 2021. On October 14, 2021, P.L. 117-50 was enacted, which raised the statutory
debt limit by $480.0 billion, from $28,401.5 billion to $28,881.5 billion. Even with this increase, extraordinary measures
continued for Treasury to manage below the debt limit. On December 16, 2021, P.L. 117-73 was enacted, increasing the debt
limit by $2,500.0 billion, from $28,881.5 billion to $31,381.5 billion. Due to a second delay in raising the statutory debt limit,
Treasury took extraordinary actions from January 19, 2023, through June 2, 2023. On June 3, 2023, P.L. 118-5 was enacted
suspending the debt limit through January 1, 2025.
As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, outstanding debt obligations subject to the statutory debt limit was $33,070.5
billion and $30,869.3 billion, respectively. The debt subject to the limit includes Treasury securities held by the public
(shown in the above table) and intra-governmental debt holdings (shown in the following table), with some adjustments.
From FY 2022 to FY 2023, interest on Treasury securities held by the public increased from $496.5 billion to $678.0 billion.
This $181.5 billion increase primarily resulted from an increase in the outstanding debt held by the public and an increase in
the average interest rate (see table above), which were offset by a decrease in inflation adjustments.
105 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Net
(In billions of dollars) 2022 Change 2023
Social Security Administration, Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust
Fund 2,723.6 (49.9) 2,673.7
Department of Defense, Military Retirement Fund 1,194.7 172.1 1,366.8
Office of Personnel Management, Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund 1,011.7 24.9 1,036.6
Department of Defense, Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund 322.0 32.2 354.2
Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Hospital Insurance Trust
Fund 177.4 17.0 194.4
Department of Health and Human Services, Federal Supplementary Medical
Insurance Trust Fund 168.0 (8.5) 159.5
Social Security Administration, Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund 114.7 28.2 142.9
Department of Housing and Urban Development, FHA, Mutual Mortgage
Insurance Capital Reserve Account 119.9 13.2 133.1
Department of Transportation, Highway Trust Fund 127.5 (11.8) 115.7
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Deposit Insurance Fund 125.5 (41.2) 84.3
Department of Labor, Unemployment Trust Fund 73.6 8.2 81.8
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 55.6 5.6 61.2
Department of Energy, Nuclear Waste Disposal Fund 56.6 3.9 60.5
Office of Personnel Management, Employees Life Insurance Fund 51.0 1.5 52.5
Office of Personnel Management, Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund 35.6 (3.6) 32.0
Office of Personnel Management, Employees Health Benefits Fund 27.3 (1.7) 25.6
U.S. Postal Service, Postal Service Fund 20.9 1.1 22.0
National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund 20.7 0.9 21.6
Department of State, Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund 20.7 0.4 21.1
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Guarantees of Mortgage-
Backed Securities Capital Reserve Account 18.4 2.6 21.0
Department of Transportation, Airport and Airway Trust Fund 10.8 5.8 16.6
Department of the Treasury, ESF 18.4 (3.7) 14.7
Department of the Interior, Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund 14.4 0.3 14.7
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Deposit Fund 13.7 (2.4) 11.3
Environmental Protection Agency, Hazardous Substance Superfund 9.4 1.6 11.0
Army Corps of Engineers, Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund 9.4 1.0 10.4
All other programs and funds 88.3 9.6 97.9
Subtotal 6,629.8 207.3 6,837.1
Total net unamortized premiums/(discounts) for intra-governmental 88.7 (49.8) 38.9
Total intra-governmental debt holdings, net 6,718.5 157.5 6,876.0
Intra-governmental debt holdings represent the portion of the gross federal debt held as investments by government
entities such as trust funds, revolving funds, and special funds.
Government entities that held investments in Treasury securities include trust funds that have funds from dedicated
collections. For additional information on funds from dedicated collections, see Note 22—Funds from Dedicated Collections.
These intra-governmental debt holdings are eliminated in the consolidation of these financial statements.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 106
Federal Employee and Veteran Benefits Payable as of September 30, 2023, and 2022
The government offers its employees retirement and other benefits, as well as health and life insurance. The liabilities
for these benefits, which include both actuarial amounts and amounts due and payable to beneficiaries and health care
carriers, apply to current and former civilian and military employees. The actuarial accrued liability represents an estimate of
the PV of the cost of benefits that have accrued, determined based on future economic and demographic assumptions.
Actuarial accrued liabilities can vary widely from year to year, due to actuarial gains and losses that result from changes to
the assumptions and from experience that has differed from prior assumptions.
OPM administers the largest civilian pension and post-retirement health benefits plans. DOD and VA administer the
military pension and post-retirement health benefit plans. Other significant pension plans with more than $10.0 billion in
actuarial accrued liability include those of Foreign Service (State), TVA, and HHS’s Public Health Service Commissioned
Corps Retirement System. Please refer to the financial statements of the entities listed for additional information regarding
their pension plans and other benefits.
In accordance with SFFAS No. 33, Pension, Other Retirement Benefits, and Other Postemployment Benefits: Reporting
the Gains and Losses from Changes in Assumptions and Selecting Discount Rates and Valuation Dates, entities are required
to separately present gains and losses from changes in long-term assumptions used to estimate liabilities associated with
pensions, ORB, and OPEB on the Statement of Net Cost. SFFAS No. 33 also provides a standard for selecting the discount
rate assumption for PV estimates of federal employee pension, ORB, and OPEB liabilities. The SFFAS No. 33 standard for
selecting the discount rate assumption requires it be based on a historical average of interest rates on marketable Treasury
securities consistent with the cash flows being discounted. Additionally, SFFAS No. 33 provides a standard for selecting
the valuation date for estimates of federal employee pension, ORB, and OPEB liabilities that establishes a consistent method
for such measurements. This SFFAS No. 33 does not apply to the FECA program.
To provide a sustainable, justifiable data resource for the affected entities, Treasury developed a model and
methodology for developing these interest rates in FY 2014. 1 The model is based on the methodology used to produce the
HQM yield curve pursuant to the Pension Protection Act of 2006. As of July 2014, Treasury began releasing interest rate
yield curve data using this new Treasury’s TNC yield curve, which is derived from Treasury notes and bonds. The TNC
yield curve provides information on Treasury nominal coupon issues and the methodology extrapolates yields beyond
30 years through 100 years maturity. The TNC yield curve is used to produce a Treasury spot yield curve (a zero coupon
curve), which provides the basis for discounting future cash flows.
In addition to the benefits presented in this note, federal, civilian, and military employees and federal entities contribute
to the TSP. The TSP is administered by an independent government entity, the FRTIB, which is charged with operating the
1
Treasury’s HQM resource is available at: https://home.treasury.gov/data/treasury-coupon-issues-and-corporate-bond-yield-curves/treasury-coupon-issues.
107 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
TSP prudently and solely in the interest of the participants and their beneficiaries. Please refer to Note 23—Fiduciary
Activities for additional information on the TSP.
Pension Benefits
Civilian Military
2023 2022 2023 2022
FERS CSRS FERS CSRS
Actuarial accrued liability, beginning of fiscal year 5,953.4 4,291.7 11.7 10.6 5,965.1 4,302.3
Current year expense:
Prior (and past) service costs from program
amendments or new programs during the
period 468.7 7.0 - - 468.7 7.0
Interest on the liability balance 167.9 126.6 0.3 0.3 168.2 126.9
Actuarial (gains)/losses (from experience) 86.3 144.6 (0.1) (0.4) 86.2 144.2
Actuarial (gains)/losses (from assumption
changes) 549.2 1,505.2 0.2 1.5 549.4 1,506.7
Total current year expense 1,272.1 1,783.4 0.4 1.4 1,272.5 1,784.8
Less benefits paid (141.5) (121.7) (0.3) (0.3) (141.8) (122.0)
Actuarial accrued liability, end of fiscal year 7,084.0 5,953.4 11.8 11.7 7,095.8 5,965.1
2023 2022
The government compensates disabled veterans and their survivors. Veterans’ compensation is payable as a disability
benefit or a survivor’s benefit. Entitlement to compensation depends on the veterans’ disabilities incurred in or aggravated
during active military service, death while on duty, or death resulting from service-connected disabilities after active duty.
Eligible veterans who die or are disabled during active military service-related causes, as well as their dependents, and
dependents of service members who died during active military service, receive compensation benefits. In addition, service
members who die during active military service and veterans who separated under other than dishonorable conditions are
provided with a burial flag, headstone/marker, and grave liner for burial in a VA national cemetery or are provided a burial
flag, headstone/marker and a plot allowance for burial in a private cemetery. These benefits are provided under 38 U.S.C.,
Part 2, §2301-2308, in recognition of a veteran’s military service and are recorded as a liability in the period the requirements
are met.
Several significant actuarial assumptions were used in the valuation of compensation and burial benefits to calculate the
PV of the liability. A liability was recognized for the projected benefit payments to: 1) those beneficiaries, including veterans
and survivors, currently receiving benefit payments; 2) current veterans who are expected in the future to become
beneficiaries of the compensation program; and 3) a proportional share of those in active military service as of the valuation
date who are expected to be future veterans and to become beneficiaries of the compensation program. Future benefit
payments to survivors of those veterans in classes 1, 2, and 3 above are also incorporated into the projection.
The veterans’ compensation and burial benefits liability is developed on an actuarial basis. It is impacted by interest on
the liability balance, experience gains or losses, changes in actuarial assumptions, prior service costs, and amounts paid for
costs included in the liability balance.
The actuarial liability for compensation and burial benefits as of September 30, 2023, was $7.1 trillion, which represents
an increase of $1.1 trillion from September 30, 2022, liability of $6.0 trillion. This increase was primarily the result of
actuarial losses from assumption changes and prior (past) service costs from program amendments or new programs during
the period, which together increased the liability by $1.0 trillion.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 110
In FY 2023, VA conducted in-depth experience studies and refined several assumptions and methods within the
compensation and burial model. These refinements led to an overall increase from assumption changes of $549.4 billion in
the compensation and burial liability as of September 30, 2023.
On August 10, 2022, the PACT Act, P.L. 117-168, was signed into law expanding and extending eligibility for VA
benefits and health care for veterans with toxic exposures and veterans of the Vietnam, Gulf War and Post-9/11 eras. The
PACT Act is the most significant expansion of benefits for toxic exposed veterans in more than 30 years. Provisions of the
PACT Act that directly impact compensation benefits include the addition of over 20 presumptive medical conditions from
exposures to burn pits and other toxins. VA reviewed the requirements for estimating the liability impact of the new law in
accordance with SFFAS No. 5, Accounting for Liabilities of the Federal Government and determined that the impact on the
compensation liability is measurable using disability compensation claims data to establish an estimate liability impact of the
PACT Act.
In FY 2023, VA assessed the impact of the PACT Act and applied certain updates to the disability compensation model.
These modifications led to an increase of $468.7 billion as prior service costs from plan amendments to the disability
compensation liability as of September 30, 2023.
Civilian Military
2023 2022 2023 2022
under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, these premiums cover only a portion of the costs. The OPM actuary
applies economic and demographic assumptions to historical cost information to estimate the liability. The decrease in post-
retirement health benefit liability of $30.7 billion is primarily attributable to actuarial gains from assumption changes.
Military Employees’ Post-Retirement Health Benefits
Military retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare (and their non-Medicare eligible dependents) are eligible for
post-retirement medical coverage provided by DOD. Depending on the benefit plan selected, retirees and their eligible
dependents may receive care from MTF on a space-available basis or from civilian providers through TRICARE. This
TRICARE coverage is available as Select (a preferred provider health plan that contracts with medical providers to create a
network of participating providers; member cost-shares are typically higher for services received out-of-network) and Prime
(a health maintenance plan that limits services to a specific network of medical personnel and facilities and usually by
requiring referral by a primary-care physician for specialty care; coverage is also available for non-referred and out-of-
network care, subject to higher cost-sharing). These post-retirement medical benefits are paid by the DOD Defense Health
Program on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Since FY 2002, DOD has provided medical coverage to Medicare-eligible retirees (and their eligible Medicare-eligible
dependents). This coverage, called TFL, is a Medicare Supplement plan which includes inpatient, outpatient and pharmacy
coverage. Enrollment in Medicare Part B is required to maintain eligibility in TFL. Retirees with TFL coverage can obtain
care from MTF on a space-available basis or from civilian providers.
10 U.S.C., Chapter 56 created the DOD MERHCF, which became operative on October 1, 2002. The purpose of this
fund is to account for and accumulate funds for the health benefit costs of Medicare-eligible military retirees, and their
dependents and survivors who are Medicare eligible. The Fund receives revenues from three sources: interest earnings on
MERHCF assets, Uniformed Services normal cost contributions, and Treasury contributions. The DOD Medicare-Eligible
Retiree Health Care Board of Actuaries (the MERHCF Board) approves the methods and assumptions used in actuarial
valuations of the MERHCF for the purpose of calculating the per capita normal cost rates (to fund the annual accrued
benefits) and determining the unfunded liability amortization payment (Treasury contribution).
The Secretary of Defense directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make DOD’s normal cost payments. The MERHCF
pays for medical costs incurred by Medicare-eligible beneficiaries at MTF and civilian providers (including payments to U.S.
Family Health Plans for grandfathered beneficiaries), plus the costs associated with claims administration.
DOD’s Office of the Actuary calculates the actuarial liabilities annually using assumptions and experience (e.g.,
mortality and retirement rates, health care costs, medical trend rates, and the discount rate) in accordance with SFFAS No.
33. Actuarial liabilities are calculated for all DOD retiree medical benefits, including both the benefits funded through the
MERHCF and the benefits for pre-Medicare retirees who are paid on a pay-as-you-go basis. Military post-retirement health
and accrued benefits payable increased $80.2 billion. The increase is primarily attributable to interest on the liability, normal
cost, and changes in assumptions.
In addition to the health care benefits the federal government provides for civilian and military retirees and their
dependents, the VA also provides medical care to veterans on an “as available” basis, subject to the limits of the annual
appropriations. For the FYs 2019 through 2023, the average medical care cost per year was $94.8 billion.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 112
For eligible veterans and their dependents, the VA provides four education/retraining type programs:
• Post 9/11 GI Bill;
• VR&E;
• DEA; and
• Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty.
Based on the actuarial estimates of future payments, the total liability for the four education and training programs
increased by $27.5 billion in FY 2023.
In FY 2023, VA performed updates to the Post 9/11 GI Bill, DEA, Montgomery GI Bill-Active Duty and VR&E
programs, which resulted in the liability increase of $27.5 billion with a $24.0 billion attributed to experience losses, $9.4
billion increase attributed to assumption changes, and an offset of $(11.9) billion due to amounts paid.
For additional information regarding actuarial assumptions and the four education and training type programs, please
refer to VA’s financial statements.
113 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Actuarial accrued life insurance benefits liability, beginning of fiscal year 62.9 60.1
Life insurance benefits expense:
New entrant expense 0.7 0.9
Interest on liability 1.7 1.7
Actuarial (gains)/losses (from experience) 0.5 (0.4)
Actuarial (gains)/losses (from assumption changes) 1.2 1.3
Total life insurance benefits expense 4.1 3.5
Less costs paid (0.7) (0.7)
Actuarial accrued life insurance benefits liability, end of fiscal year 66.3 62.9
Civilian
2023 2022
One of the other significant employee benefits is the FEGLI Program. Employee and annuitant contributions and
interest on investments fund a portion of this liability. The actuarial life insurance liability is the expected PV of future
benefits to pay to, or on behalf of, existing FEGLI participants, less the expected PV of future contributions to be collected
from those participants. The OPM actuary uses salary increase and interest rate yield curve assumptions that are generally
consistent with the pension liability.
As of September 30, 2023, the total amount of FEGLI insurance in-force is estimated at $800.8 billion ($669.2 billion
for employees and $108.6 billion for annuitants).
Veterans’ Life Insurance Benefits
The largest veterans’ life insurance programs consist of the following:
• National Service Life Insurance covers policyholders who served during World War II.
• Veterans’ Special Life Insurance was established in 1951 to meet the insurance needs of veterans who served during
the Korean Conflict and through the period ending January 1, 1957.
• Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance program was established in 1951 to meet the insurance needs of veterans who
received a service-connected disability rating.
Death benefit liabilities consist of reserves for permanent plan and term policies as well as policy benefits for Veterans
Mortgage Life Insurance. Disability income and waiver liabilities consist of reserves to fund the monthly payments to
disabled insureds under the Total Disability Income Provision and the policy premiums waived for qualifying disabled
veterans. Insurance dividends payable consists of dividends left on deposit with VA and dividends payable to policyholders.
Unpaid policy claims consist of insurance claims that are pending at the end of the reporting period, an estimate of claims
that have been incurred but not yet reported, and disbursements in transit. The veteran’s life insurance liability for future
policy benefits as of September 30, 2022, and 2021, was $3.6 billion and $3.9 billion, respectively. For additional
information on veteran’s life insurance liability, please refer to VA’s financial statements.
The VA supervises SGLI and Veterans Group Life Insurance programs that provide life insurance coverage to members
of the uniformed armed services, reservists, and post-Vietnam Veterans as well as their families. VA has entered into a group
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 114
policy with the Prudential Insurance Company of America to administer and provide the insurance payments under these
programs. All SGLI insureds are automatically covered under the Traumatic Injury Protection program, which provides for
insurance payments to veterans who suffer a serious traumatic injury in service.
The amount of insurance in-force is the total face amount of life insurance coverage provided by each administered and
supervised program at the end of the fiscal year. It includes any paid-up additional coverage provided under these policies.
The supervised programs’ policies and face values are not reflected in VA’s liabilities because the risk of loss on these
programs is assumed by Prudential and its reinsurers through the terms and conditions of the group policy. As a result, the
information provided for the supervised programs is for informational purposes only and is unaudited. The face value for
supervised programs as of September 30, 2022, and 2021, was $1,213.2 billion and $1,219.0 billion, respectively. The face
value for administered programs as of September 30, 2022, and 2021, was $4.8 billion and $5.3 billion, respectively.
DOL selects the discount rates by averaging interest rates for the current and prior four years. Using averaging renders
estimates that reflect historical trends over five years instead of conditions that exist in one year. DOL selected the interest
rate assumptions whereby projected annual payments were discounted to PV based on interest rate assumptions on the TNC
yield curve to reflect the average duration of income payments and medical payments. The average durations for income
payments and medical payments were 14.5 years and 10.3 years, respectively. Based on averaging the TNC yield curves for
the current and prior four years, the interest rate assumptions for income payments and medical payments were 2.3 percent
and 2.1 percent, respectively.
For the COLAs, CPIMs, average durations, and interest rate assumptions used in the projections for FY 2022, refer to
the FY 2022 Financial Report.
115 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Unfunded Leave
Unfunded leave are the amounts recorded by an employer federal entity for unpaid leave earned that an employee is
entitled to upon separation and that will be funded by future years’ budgetary resources. The total unfunded leave as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022, was $27.2 billion and $26.9 billion, respectively.
After World War II, the U.S. developed a massive industrial complex to research, produce, and test nuclear weapons
and commercial nuclear power reactors. The nuclear complex was comprised of nuclear reactors, chemical-processing
buildings, metal machining plants, laboratories, and maintenance facilities.
At all sites where these activities took place, some environmental contamination occurred. This contamination was
caused by the production, storage, and use of radioactive materials and hazardous chemicals, which resulted in contamination
of soil, surface water, or groundwater. The environmental legacy of nuclear weapons production also includes thousands of
contaminated buildings and large volumes of waste and special nuclear materials requiring treatment, stabilization, and
disposal.
Estimated cleanup costs at sites for which there are no current feasible remediation approaches are excluded from the
estimates, although applicable stewardship and monitoring costs for these sites are included. DOE has not been required
through regulation to establish remediation activities for these sites.
Estimating DOE’s environmental cleanup liability requires making assumptions about future activities and is inherently
uncertain. The future course of DOE’s environmental cleanup and disposal will depend on a number of fundamental technical
and policy choices, many of which have not been made. Some contaminated sites and facilities could be restored to a
condition suitable for any desired use or could be restored to a point where they pose no near-term health risks to the
surrounding communities. Achieving the former condition of the sites and facilities would have a higher cost which may or
may not warrant the cost or be legally required. The environmental and disposal liability estimates include contingency
estimates intended to account for the uncertainties associated with the technical cleanup scope of the program. Congressional
appropriations at lower-than anticipated levels or lack of congressional approval, unplanned delays in project completions
including potential delays due to COVID-19, unforeseen technical issues, obtaining regulatory approval, among other things,
could cause increases in life-cycle costs.
DOE’s environmental and disposal liabilities also include the estimated cleanup and post-closure responsibilities,
including surveillance and monitoring activities, soil and groundwater remediation, and disposition of excess material for
sites. DOE is responsible for the post-closure activities at many of the closure sites as well as other sites. The costs for these
post-closure activities are estimated for a period of 75 years after the balance sheet date, i.e., through 2098 in FY 2023 and
through 2097 in FY 2022. While some post-cleanup monitoring and other long-term stewardship activities post-2098 are
included in the liability, there are others DOE expects to continue beyond 2098 for which the costs cannot reasonably be
estimated.
A portion of DOE’s environmental liability at various field sites includes anticipated costs for facilities managed by
DOE’s ongoing program operations, which will ultimately require stabilization, deactivation, and decommissioning. The
estimates are largely based upon a cost-estimating model. Site specific estimates are used in lieu of the cost-estimating
model, when available. Cost estimates for ongoing program facilities are updated each year. For facilities newly
contaminated since FY 1997, cleanup costs allocated to the periods benefiting from the operations of the facilities. Facilities’
cleanup costs allocated to future periods and not included in the environmental and disposal liabilities amounted to $1.1
billion for fiscal years ending September 30, 2023, and 2022.
DOD has cleanup requirements and conducts the cleanup under DERP at active installations, Base Realignment
Closure, and Formerly Used Defense Sites. DOD has additional cleanup requirements for active installations not driven by
DERP, weapon systems programs, and chemical weapons disposal programs. The weapons system program consists of
chemical weapons disposal, nuclear powered aircraft carriers, nuclear powered submarines, and other nuclear ships. All
cleanup efforts are performed in coordination with regulatory entities, other responsible parties, and current property owners,
as applicable.
117 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DOD follows CERCLA, SARA, RCRA or other applicable federal or state laws to clean up contamination. The
CERCLA, SARA, and RCRA require DOD to clean up contamination in coordination with regulatory entities, current
owners of property damaged by DOD, and third parties that have a partial responsibility for the environmental restoration.
Failure to comply with agreements and legal mandates puts the DOD at risk of incurring fines and penalties.
DOD utilizes an estimating methodology model which includes the use of mathematical equations to convert resources
data into cost data to project environmental cleanup cost. DOD validates the models and estimates liabilities based on data
received during preliminary assessment and site investigation.
For general PP&E placed into service after September 30, 1997, DOD expenses associated environmental cleanup costs
using two methods: physical capacity usage of the assets or systematically recognized over the useful life. DOD expensed
cleanup costs for general PP&E placed into service before October 1, 1997, unless costs are to be recovered through user
charges. As costs are recovered DOD expenses cleanup costs associated with the asset life that has passed since the general
PP&E was placed into service. DOD systematically recognizes the remaining cost over the remaining life of the asset. The
unrecognized portion of the estimated total cleanup costs associated with disposal of general PP&E was $4.7 billion and $3.9
billion for fiscal years ending September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
DOD is responsible for environmental restoration and corrective action for buried chemical munitions and agents;
however, a reasonable estimate is indeterminable because the extent of the buried chemical munitions and agents is unknown.
DOD has ongoing studies for the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program and will update its estimate as additional
information is identified. DOD may incur costs for restoration initiatives in conjunction with returning overseas DOD
facilities to host nations. DOD continues its efforts to reasonably estimate required restoration costs.
Environmental liabilities change over time because of laws and regulation updates, technology advances, inflation or
deflation factors and disposal plan revisions. DOD revised estimates resulting from previously unknown contaminants,
reestimation based on different assumptions, and other changes in project scope.
Please refer to the financial statements of the main contributing entities, DOD and DOE, for additional information
regarding environmental and disposal liabilities, including cleanup costs.
Legal contingent liabilities including contingencies related to environmental legal disputes are recognized as an other
liability on the Balance Sheet. See Note 18—Other Liabilities and Note 21—Contingencies for additional information related
to legal contingencies.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 118
Benefits due and payable are amounts owed to program recipients or medical service providers as of September 30,
2023 that have not been paid. HHS had an increase in entitlement benefits of $18.3 billion or 13 percent over FY 2022 that
was due to an increase in medical services and claims incurred but not reported. Please refer to the financial statements of
SSA, HHS, and DOL for more information.
119 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Insurance and Guarantee Program Liabilities as of September 30, 2023, and 2022
The federal government incurs liabilities related to various insurance and guarantee programs as detailed in the table
above. Note 21—Contingencies includes a discussion of contingencies and other risks related to significant insurance and
guarantee programs. Insurance information and the related liability concerning federal employee and veteran benefits are
included in Note 13—Federal Employee and Veteran Benefits Payable. Social insurance and loan guarantees are not
considered insurance programs under SFFAS No. 51, Insurance Programs, and are accounted for under SFFAS No. 17,
Accounting for Social Insurance, and SFFAS No. 2, Accounting for Direct Loans and Loan Guarantees. Loan guarantees are
disclosed in Note 4—Loans Receivable, Net and Loan Guarantee Liabilities, and social insurance information is included
primarily in the sustainability financial statements and in Note 25—Social Insurance.
Insurance and guarantee program liabilities are recognized for known losses and contingent losses to the extent that the
underlying contingency is deemed probable and a loss amount is reasonably measurable. Please see Note 21—Contingencies
for discussion on the meaning of “probable” depending on the accounting framework used by each significant consolidation
entity. PBGC, which insures defined benefit pensions, has the largest insurance and guarantee program liability.
PBGC insures pension benefits for participants in covered defined benefit pension plans. The FY 2023 decrease of $4.2
billion in PBGC’s liability for its two separate insurance programs is comprised of a decrease of $4.4 billion in the single-
employer program liability and an increase of $0.2 billion in the multiemployer program liability. As of September 30, 2023,
and 2022, PBGC had total liabilities of $88.8 billion and $90.3 billion, respectively. As of September 30, 2023, PBGC’s total
assets exceeded its total liabilities by $46.1 billion, and in FY 2022 its total assets exceeded its total liabilities by $37.6
billion.
On March 11, 2021, the ARP established the SFA program for distressed multiemployer pension plans that meet
specific eligibility criteria. The SFA program is administered by PBGC and paid in a single lump sum rather than in periodic
payments. An application under the ARP must be filed by the eligible plans no later than December 31, 2025. Unlike
PBGC’s insolvency insurance program for multiemployer plans, which is funded by insurance premiums and investment
income, the SFA program is funded by appropriations from the General Fund. The SFA program is intended to enable
eligible plans to pay benefits due through plan year 2051, and, as a result, these plans are no longer considered to be
liabilities to PBGC. PBGC projects the range of total costs for the SFA program to be between $78.6 billion and $81.9
billion, which includes the $45.6 billion paid during FY 2023 and $7.5 billion paid in FY 2022. Refer to PBGC’s financial
statements and FY 2022 Projections Report for additional information.
As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, $17.3 billion pertain to USDA’s FCIP. The FCIP is administered by the FCIC,
which provides insurance to reduce agricultural producers’ economic losses due to natural disasters.
As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, $4.1 billion and $5.8 billion, respectively, pertain to the DHS NFIP, which is
included in other insurance and guarantee programs. The NFIP insurance program liability represents an estimate based on
the loss and loss adjustment expense factors inherent to the NFIP Insurance Underwriting Operations, including trends in
claim severity and frequency. The estimate is driven primarily by the timing and severity of flooding activity in the U.S. and
can significantly vary year over year.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 120
Advances from Others and Deferred Revenue as of September 30, 2023, and 2022
Advances from others and deferred revenue consists of payments received in advance of performance of activities for
which revenue has not been earned and other deferred revenue or income received but not yet earned not otherwise classified
as advances or repayments. Some examples include deferred project revenue funded in advance, funds received in advance
under the terms of a settlement agreement, prepaid postage, and unearned fees, assessments, and surcharges.
SAA advances from others represent liabilities for collections received to cover future expenses or acquisition of assets
and are related to contracts authorizing progress payments based on cost as defined in the Federal Acquisition Regulation. In
accordance with contract terms, specific rights to the contractors’ work vest when a specific type of contract financing
payment is made. Due to the probability the contractors will complete their efforts and deliver satisfactory products, and
because the amount of potential future payments is estimable, the SAA has recognized a contingent liability for estimated
future payments which are conditional pending delivery and government acceptance. SAA had a large increase of $102.8
billion over the previous fiscal year due to increases in cash collections received from foreign partners.
The DOE’s Nuclear Waste Fund collects revenues from owners or generators of high-level radioactive waste and SNF
to pay their share of disposal costs. These revenues are recognized as a financing source as costs are incurred, and revenues
that exceed the expenses are considered deferred revenue.
121 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Other liabilities are the amounts owed to the public and are not reported elsewhere in the Balance Sheet.
• Other liabilities with related budgetary obligations are amounts of liabilities for which there is a related budgetary
obligation. Grant accruals, subsidies, and unpaid obligations related to assistance programs are all part of this
category. Substantial contributors to this category are DOT, HHS, DOD, and USDA. A sharp year over year
increase occurred due to the failures of First Republic Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature Bank. The FDIC
recorded liabilities totaling $138.0 billion to resolution entities representing the agreed-upon value of assets
transferred from the receiverships, at the time of failure, to the acquiring institutions for use in funding the deposits
assumed by the acquiring institutions. The DIF satisfies these liabilities by sending cash directly to a receivership to
pay claims, liabilities, and other expenses of the receiverships or by offsetting receivables from resolutions when a
receivership declares a dividend.
• Allocation of SDR is the amount of corresponding liability representing the value of the reserve assets allocated by
the IMF to meet global needs to supplement existing reserve assets. SDR derive their quality as reserve assets from
the undertakings of the members to accept them in exchange for “freely useable” currencies (the U.S. dollar,
European euro, Chinese renminbi, Japanese yen, and British pound sterling). Treasury is the sole contributor. For
additional information, refer to Note 27—Disclosure Entities and Related Parties.
• Other liabilities without related budgetary obligations represent those unfunded liabilities for which congressional
action is needed before budgetary resources can be provided. The largest contributions to this category are HUD’s
Home Equity Conversion Mortgage-Backed Security Obligations, at FV, and DOE’s contractor-sponsored pension
plans and other post-retirement benefits.
• Actuarial liabilities for Treasury-managed benefit programs are the amounts recorded by Treasury for actuarial
liabilities of future benefit payments to be paid from programs such as the D.C. Federal Pension Fund and the D.C.
Judicial Retirement Fund. The only contributors are DOL and Treasury.
• Contingent liabilities are amounts that are recognized as a result of a past event where a future outflow or sacrifice
of resource is probable and measurable. These consist of a wide variety of administrative proceedings, legal actions,
and tort claims which may ultimately result in settlements or decisions adverse to the federal government. DOE and
HHS are the top contributors. For additional information, refer to Note 21—Contingencies.
• Liability for non-fiduciary deposit funds and undeposited collections is the amount offsetting undeposited
collections and collections deposited in non-fiduciary deposit funds awaiting disposition. The most substantial
contributions are from DOJ’s seized cash and monetary instruments, SEC’s liability for disgorgement and penalties
from securities law violators, and DOD.
• Other miscellaneous liabilities are the liabilities not otherwise classified above. Many entities reported relatively
small amounts.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 122
The following entities are the main contributors to the government’s reported other liabilities as of September 30, 2023.
Refer to each entity’s financial statements for additional information:
• Treasury • HUD • USDA
• FDIC • DOJ • Education
• DOL • DOT • DOI
• DOE • PBGC • SEC
• HHS • USPS • State
• DOD • DHS
123 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Collections of Federal Tax Revenue for the Year Ended September 30, 2023
Individual income tax and tax withholdings 4,112.0 2,546.8 1,414.1 69.6 81.5
Corporate income taxes 457.0 270.3 155.5 4.9 26.3
Excise taxes 97.1 75.4 21.1 0.2 0.4
Unemployment taxes 47.3 39.0 8.1 - 0.2
Customs duties 85.1 78.0 7.1 - -
Estate and gift taxes 35.4 1.3 29.9 2.1 2.1
Railroad retirement taxes 7.2 5.4 1.6 - 0.2
Fines, penalties, interest, and other revenue 5.5 5.4 0.1 - -
Subtotal 4,846.6 3,021.6 1,637.5 76.8 110.7
Less: amounts collected for non-federal entities (0.4)
Total 4,846.2
Treasury is the government’s principal revenue-collecting entity. Collections of individual income and tax withholdings
include FICA/SECA and individual income taxes. These taxes are characterized as non-exchange revenue.
Excise taxes, also characterized as non-exchange revenue, consist of taxes collected for various items, such as airline
tickets, gasoline products, distilled spirits and imported liquor, tobacco, firearms, and others.
Tax and other revenues reported reflect the effects of tax expenditures, which are special exclusions, exemptions,
deductions, tax credits, preferential tax rates, and tax deferrals that allow individuals and businesses to reduce taxes they may
otherwise owe. The Budget Act (P.L. 93-344) requires that a list of tax expenditures be included in the annual Budget. Tax
expenditures may be viewed as alternatives to other policy instruments, such as spending or regulatory programs. For
example, the government supports college attendance through both spending programs and tax expenditures. The government
uses Pell Grants to help low- and moderate-income students afford college and allows certain funds used to meet college
expenses to grow tax free in special college savings accounts.
Tax expenditures include deductions and exclusions, which reduce the amount of income subject to tax. Examples are
the deduction for mortgage interest on personal residences and the exclusion of interest on state and local bonds. Tax
expenditures also include tax credits, which reduce tax liability dollar for dollar for the amount of credit. For example, the
child tax credit reduces liability by $2,000 per child for taxpayers eligible to use it fully. Other credits are targeted at business
activity, such as credits for producing electricity from renewable energy or the research and experimentation credit, which
encourages businesses in the U.S. to increase investment in research activities. In addition, tax expenditures include some
provisions that allow taxpayers to defer tax liability. Examples include provisions that allow immediate expensing or
accelerated depreciation of certain capital investments, and others that allow taxpayers to defer their tax liability, such as the
deferral of recognition of income on contributions to and income accrued within qualified retirement plans.
The total revenues reported in the Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Position and the related information
reported in this note, do not include explicit line items for tax expenditures, but the total revenue amounts and budget results
reflect the effect of these expenditures. Tax expenditures are discussed in this note, the unaudited MD&A, and in the
unaudited Other Information section of the Financial Report.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 124
Federal Tax Refunds Disbursed and Other Payments for the Year Ended September 30, 2023
Individual income tax and tax withholdings 611.0 100.0 302.6 160.6 47.8
Corporate income taxes 43.9 4.4 8.7 11.0 19.8
Other taxes, fines, and penalties 11.7 4.9 3.2 1.5 2.1
Total 666.6 109.3 314.5 173.1 69.7
Reconciliation of Tax Collections to Revenue for the Year Ended September 30, 2023, and 2022
Consolidated revenue in the Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Position is presented on a modified cash basis,
net of tax refunds, and includes other non-tax related revenue. Refunds of federal taxes and other payments and individual
and other tax credits in FY 2023 and FY 2022 include the CARES Act, CAA, 2021 and ARP stimulus disbursements of $2.0
billion and $13.1 billion, respectively, to eligible taxpayers. Individual and other tax credits amounts are included in gross
cost in the Statements of Net Cost. Refer to Note 3—Accounts Receivable, Net for further explanation of line changes in
taxes receivable. The FICA – tax paid by federal entities is included in the individual income and tax withholdings line in the
Collections of Federal Tax Revenue; however, it is not reported on the Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Position
as these collections are intra-governmental revenue and eliminated in consolidation. The table above reconciles federal tax
collections to total revenue.
125 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Collections of Federal Tax Revenue for the Year Ended September 30, 2022
Individual income tax and tax withholdings 4,308.1 2,495.6 1,680.0 99.5 33.0
Corporate income taxes 475.8 294.0 156.6 3.4 21.8
Excise taxes 95.3 74.8 20.1 - 0.4
Unemployment taxes 63.8 49.8 13.8 - 0.2
Customs duties 104.7 97.9 6.8 - -
Estate and gift taxes 33.4 2.3 25.9 1.8 3.4
Railroad retirement taxes 6.1 4.4 1.3 0.4 -
Fines, penalties, interest and other revenue 5.0 4.9 0.1 - -
Subtotal 5,092.2 3,023.7 1,904.6 105.1 58.8
Less: amounts collected for non-federal entities (0.4)
Total 5,091.8
Federal Tax Refunds Disbursed and Other Payments for the Year Ended September 30, 2022
Individual income tax and tax withholdings 583.3 85.8 418.5 15.4 63.6
Corporate income taxes 55.7 4.4 12.3 32.9 6.1
Other taxes, fines, and penalties 10.1 4.0 2.0 2.4 1.7
Total 649.1 94.2 432.8 50.7 71.4
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 126
The government has entered into contractual commitments that require future use of financial resources. It has
significant amounts of long-term lease obligations. Long-term operating leases in this note refer to those leases in which
federal entities do not assume the risks of ownership of the underlying general PP&E, and payments are expensed over the
lease term. The lease liabilities and assets arising from operating leases for FASB-reporting entities who have implemented
FASB ASC 842, Leases, are recorded on the Balance Sheet in other liabilities and PP&E, respectively, and thus are not
included in this Commitments note.
127 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Undelivered Orders and Other Commitments as of September 30, 2023, and 2022
Other Commitments:
GSE Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements 254.1 254.1
U.S. participation in the International Monetary Fund 151.0 146.4
Callable capital subscriptions for Multilateral Development Banks 130.2 127.9
All other commitments 19.2 20.8
Total other commitments 554.5 549.2
2
In addition, a third condition must be met to be a loss contingency: a past event or an exchange transaction must occur.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 130
Loss contingencies arise in the normal course of operations and their ultimate disposition is unknown. Based on
information currently available, however, it is management’s opinion that the expected outcome of these matters, individually
or in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on the financial statements, except for the litigation and insurance
described in the following sections, which could have a material adverse effect on the financial statements.
Certain significant consolidation entities apply financial accounting and reporting standards issued by FASB, and such
entities, as permitted by SFFAS No. 47, Reporting Entity, are consolidated into the U.S. government’s consolidated financial
statements without conversion to financial and reporting standards issued by FASAB. 4 Generally, under FASAB standards, a
contingency is considered “probable” if the future event or events are more likely than not to occur. Under FASB standards, a
contingency is considered “probable” if the future event or events are likely to occur. “Likely to occur” is considered to be
more certain than “more likely than not to occur.” Under both accounting frameworks, a contingency is considered
“reasonably possible” if occurrence of the future event or events is more likely than remote, but less likely than “probable”
(“probable” as defined within each corresponding accounting framework).
3
For pending or threatened litigation and unasserted claims, the future confirming event or events are considered “probable” if such events are likely to
occur.
4
Significant consolidation entities that apply FASB standards without conversion to FASAB standards are FCSIC, FDIC, NRRIT, PBGC, Smithsonian,
TVA, and USPS.
131 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Legal Contingencies and Environmental and Disposal Contingencies as of September 30, 2023, and
2022
2023 2022
Estimated Range of Loss Estimated Range of Loss
for Certain Cases 2 for Certain Cases 2
Accrued Accrued
(In billions of dollars) Liabilities 1 Lower End Upper End Liabilities 1 Lower End Upper End
1
Accrued liabilities are recorded and presented in other liabilities on the Balance Sheet.
2
Does not reflect the total range of loss; many cases assessed as reasonably possible of an unfavorable outcome did not include
estimated losses that could be determined.
Note: "N/A" indicates not applicable.
Management and legal counsel have determined that it is “probable” that some legal actions, litigation, tort claims, and
environmental and disposal contingencies will result in a loss to the government and the loss amounts are reasonably
measurable. The estimated liabilities for “probable” cases against the government are $55.9 billion and $41.1 billion as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively, and are included in “Other Liabilities” on the Balance Sheet. For example, the
U.S. Supreme Court 2012 decision in Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter, and subsequent cases related to contract support
costs have resulted in increased claims against the Indian Health Service, which is a component within HHS. As a result of
this decision, many tribes have filed claims. Some claims have been paid and others have been asserted but not yet settled. It
is expected that some tribes will file additional claims for prior years. The estimated amount recorded for contract support
costs is $6.4 billion in FY 2023 and $6.1 billion in FY 2022.
There are also administrative claims and legal actions pending where adverse decisions are considered by management
and legal counsel as “reasonably possible” with an estimate of potential loss or a range of potential loss. The estimated
potential losses reported for such claims and actions range from $10.6 billion to $107.4 billion as of September 30, 2023, and
from $17.2 billion to $44.5 billion as of September 30, 2022.
The estimated upper range of potential loss for probable and reasonably possible claims and actions increased $22.7
billion, and $62.9 billion, respectively in FY 2023. The increase is primarily due to new cases, a change in the likelihood of
loss, along with the net change in the amount of potential loss, and legal cases that are no longer pending.
In accordance with the NWPA, DOE entered into more than 69 standard contracts with utilities in which, in return for
payment of fees into the Nuclear Waste Fund, DOE agreed to begin disposal of SNF by January 31, 1998. Because DOE has
no facility available to receive SNF under the NWPA, it has been unable to begin disposal of the utilities’ SNF as required by
the contracts. Significant litigation claiming damages for partial breach of contract has ensued as a result of this delay. Based
on settlement estimates, the total liability estimate as of September 30, 2023 is in a range between $44.7 billion and $51.6
billion. After deducting the cumulative amount paid of $10.6 billion as of September 30, 2023 under settlements, and as a
result of final judgments, the remaining accrued liability is estimated to be approximately $34.1 billion, compared to
approximately $31.0 billion as of September 30, 2022.
A number of class action and/or multiple plaintiff tort suits have been filed against current and former DOE contractors
in which the plaintiffs seek damages for alleged exposures to radioactive and/or toxic substances as a result of the historic
operations of DOE’s nuclear facilities. Collectively, in these cases, damages of $1.2 billion are currently sought.
Numerous litigation cases are pending where the outcome is uncertain or it is reasonably possible that a loss has been
incurred and where estimates cannot be made. There are other litigation cases where the plaintiffs have not made claims for
specific dollar amounts, but the settlement may be significant. The ultimate resolution of these legal actions for which the
potential loss could not be determined may materially affect the U.S. government’s financial position or operating results.
A number of cases were filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and U.S. District Courts in which the plaintiffs allege,
among other things, that the U.S. government took their property, breached contractual rights of preferred and common
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 132
stockholders, and breached fiduciary duties when the third amendments to the SPSPAs between Treasury and each GSE were
executed in August 2012 (please refer to Note 8—Investments in Government-Sponsored Enterprises). In the U.S. Court of
Federal Claims, the plaintiffs seek just compensation and other damages from the U.S. government. With respect to certain
cases pending before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. government’s motion to dismiss was granted with respect to
certain claims and denied with respect to certain other claims. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed all
of the claims. Certain plaintiffs filed petitions for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court, which were denied. While most
of the cases brought before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims have been dismissed, some are still pending. In the U.S. District
Courts, the plaintiffs seek to set aside the third amendments to the SPSPAs as well as damages, and in some cases an
injunction that results in changes to Treasury’s liquidation preference, or that converts Treasury’s GSE senior preferred stock
to common stock. Following the Supreme Court’s decision in June 2021, the Court left open the possibility that the plaintiffs
may be entitled to retrospective relief if the unconstitutional provision inflicted “compensable harm”. The Fifth and Eighth
Circuit Courts of Appeals remanded cases to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and the U.S. District
Court for the District of Minnesota, where plaintiffs filed amended complaints alleging that the unconstitutional provision
inflicted “compensable harm”. In the Southern District of Texas litigation, plaintiffs also added claims that FHFA’s funding
structure violates the Appropriations Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
Texas dismissed the amended complaint, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal. The U.S. District
Court for the District of Minnesota also dismissed the amended complaint, and that case is now again pending at the Eighth
Circuit Court of Appeals. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals remanded a case to the U.S. District Court for the Western
District of Michigan to determine if the unconstitutional provision inflicted “compensable harm,” while rejecting claims that
an FHFA director had been serving in violation of the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs filed a
petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court regarding the Appointments Clause claim, which was denied. On
remand, plaintiffs are seeking to amend their complaint to add claims that FHFA’s funding structure violates the
Appropriations Clause of the U.S. Constitution. A case in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania remains in litigation, and a
motion to dismiss is pending. Treasury is unable to determine the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome or an estimate of
potential loss in these cases at this time.
Insurance and Guarantees
As discussed in Note 1.N—Insurance and Guarantee Program Liabilities, certain consolidation entities with significant
insurance and guarantee programs apply FASB standards, while other insurance programs are accounted for in the
consolidated financial statements pursuant to FASAB standards. Please refer to Note 16—Insurance and Guarantee Program
Liabilities for insurance and guarantee liabilities and Note 13—Federal Employee and Veteran Benefits Payable for insurance
related to federal employee and veteran benefits.
Entities Reporting under FASB
PBGC, FCSIC, and FDIC are the main contributing consolidation entities with significant insurance or guarantee
programs that apply FASB standards. Insurance in-force estimates and a discussion of PBGC’s coverage are disclosed to
provide an understanding of the magnitude of the programs. Current conditions indicate it is extremely unlikely that losses
equal to the maximum risk exposure described below would be incurred.
PBGC insures pension benefits for participants in covered defined benefit pension plans. Under current law, PBGC's
liabilities may be paid only from PBGC's assets. Accordingly, PBGC's liabilities are not backed by the full faith of the U.S.
government. As of September 30, 2023, PBGC's single-employer and multiemployer pension insurance programs had $130.9
billion and $4.0 billion in total assets, respectively. In FY 2022, PBGC reported pension insurance program total assets for
single-employer and multiemployer of $124.4 billion and $3.5 billion, respectively.
PBGC operates two separate pension insurance programs: a single-employer program and a multiemployer program.
The single-employer program covered about 20.6 million people (excluding those in plans that PBGC has trusteed) in FY
2023, down from about 22.3 million people in FY 2022, and the maximum guaranteed annual benefit for participants who are
in a plan that terminated in FY 2023 and commence benefits at age 65 is $81,000. The maximum guaranteed benefit for
single-employer plan participants is determined by the year the retiree’s plan terminated (if the plan terminated during the
plan sponsor’s bankruptcy, the year the sponsor entered bankruptcy) and the participant’s age at the later of the date the
sponsor entered bankruptcy or the date the participant begins collecting benefits. The number of covered ongoing plans at the
end of FY 2023 was about 23,500.
The multiemployer program covers about 11.0 million participants in about 1,360 insured plans and the maximum
annual benefit is $12,870 to a participant who worked for 30 years in jobs covered by the plan. The maximum benefit for
multiemployer plan participants varies with covered service and would be lower if the participant worked less than 30 years
and higher if the participant worked more than 30 years. On March 11, 2021, the President signed into law the ARP. The
ARP established a new multiemployer SFA program resulting in a new source of financing from the General Fund. PBGC
133 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
receives appropriated SFA funds to disburse to multiemployer plans that meet certain criteria. Unlike traditional financial
assistance where PBGC provides assistance to the multiemployer plans in the form of a loan, the new special financial
assistance will be provided via a transfer of funds with no obligation of repayment. The SFA program is expected to enable
PBGC to satisfy long-term multiemployer obligations by providing SFA to currently insolvent and probable plans. PBGC’s
FY 2022 Projection Report shows that the multiemployer program is likely to remain solvent for more than 40 years.
FCSIC insures the timely payment of principal and interest on Systemwide Debt Securities. Systemwide Debt Securities
are the general unsecured joint and several obligations of the FCSB. Systemwide Debt Securities are not obligations of and
are not guaranteed by the U.S. government. As stated in the Farm Credit Quarterly Information Statement of the Farm Credit
System, outstanding Systemwide Debt Securities reported by the FCSB totaled $401.9 billion and $377.2 billion as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022 respectively. The insurance provided by FCSIC is also not an obligation of and is not
guaranteed by the U.S. government. Under current law, if FCSIC does not have sufficient funds to pay unpaid principal and
interest on insured Systemwide Debt Securities, the FCSB will be required to make payments under joint and several
liability. As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, FCSIC reported an Insurance Fund balance of $7.2 billion and $6.5 billion,
respectively.
FDIC insures bank and savings association deposits, which exposes FDIC to various risks. FDIC has estimated total
insured deposits of $10,592.6 billion and $9,926.3 billion as of September 30, 2023, and 2022 respectively, for the DIF.
As described below, the government also has insurance and guarantee contingencies for PBGC and FDIC that are
reasonably possible in the amount of $26.4 billion and $54.5 billion as of September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
PBGC reported $26.1 billion and $54.2 billion as of September 30, 2023, and 2022, respectively, for the estimated
aggregate unfunded vested benefits exposure to PBGC for private-sector single-employer and multiemployer defined benefit
pension plans that are classified with a reasonably possible exposure to loss. As of September 30, 2023, PBGC’s estimate of
its single-employer reasonably possible exposure decreased to $25.7 billion. The $26.3 billion decrease from the reasonably
possible exposure of $52.0 billion as of September 30, 2022, is primarily due to the significant increase in the interest factors
used for valuing liabilities as of the measurement date. 5 In FY 2023, PBGC estimated that it is reasonably possible that
multiemployer plans may require future assistance in the amount of $0.4 billion, a $1.8 billion decrease from the $2.2 billion
in FY 2022. The primary reason for the decrease in exposure was a net decrease in the number of plans classified as
reasonably possible.
FDIC reported $0.3 billion as of September 30, 2023, and 2022 for reasonably possible losses to the DIF for additional
risks identified in the financial services industry should potentially vulnerable insured institutions ultimately fail. Actual
losses, if any, will largely depend on future economic and market conditions.
Entities Reporting under FASAB
The total amount of coverage provided by an insurer as of the end of the reporting period is referred to as insurance in-
force. Insurance in-force represents the total amount of unexpired insurance arrangements for the corresponding program as
of a given date. Insurance in-force is presented to provide the reader with a better understanding of the unexpired insurance
arrangements that are not considered a liability. It is extremely unlikely that losses equal to the maximum risk exposure
would be incurred. The table below shows the estimate of insurance in-force for consolidation entities with significant
insurance programs that apply FASAB standards in accordance with SFFAS No. 51, Insurance Programs.
Ginnie Mae insures MBS and commitments, which exposes Ginnie Mae to various risks. Ginnie Mae’s MBS program
guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest on securities backed by pools of mortgage loans insured by FHA,
Public and Indian Housing, and Rural Housing Service, or guaranteed by the VA. Accordingly, Ginnie Mae’s credit risk
5
The estimate of the reasonably possible exposure to the loss for the single-employer plans was determined using a measurement date of December 31,
2022.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 134
related to outstanding MBS is greatly mitigated by guarantees discussed in Note 4—Loans Receivable, Net and Loan
Guarantee Liabilities.
NCUA operates and manages the NCUSIF, insuring the deposits of over 138.8 million account holders in all federal
credit unions and the majority of state-chartered credit unions. NCUSIF insures the balance of each members’ accounts,
dollar-for-dollar, up to at least the standard maximum share insurance amount of $250,000.
NFIP, managed by FEMA, is considered an exchange transaction insurance program and pays claims to policy holders
who experience flood damage due to flooding within the NFIP rules and regulations. FEMA is authorized to secure
reinsurance coverage from private reinsurance and capital markets to maintain the financial ability of the program to pay
claims from major flooding events.
FEMA, a component of DHS, is authorized to borrow from Treasury up to $30.4 billion to fund the payment of flood
insurance claims and claims-related expenses of the NFIP. Amounts borrowed at any time are not predetermined, and
authority is used only as needed to pay existing obligations for claims and expenses. Insurance premiums collected are used
to pay insurance claims and to repay borrowings. As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, FEMA had drawn from Treasury
$20.5 billion, leaving $9.9 billion available to be borrowed. Premiums collected by FEMA are not expected to be sufficient to
cover the debt repayments. Given the current premium rate structure, FEMA is not expected to be able to generate sufficient
resources from premiums to pay its debt in full.
The FCIP, administered by USDA’s FCIC, is considered a short-duration exchange transaction insurance program. The
crop insurance policies insure against unexpected declines in yield and/or price due to natural causes. There were
approximately 1.2 million crop insurance policies in force for crop years 2023, and 2022. The insurance policies are
structured as a contract between approved insurance providers and producers, with the FCIC providing reinsurance to
approved insurance providers. Crop insurance policies automatically renew each year unless producers cancel them by a
published annual deadline. FCIC may request the Secretary of Agriculture to provide borrowing authority funds of the
Commodity Credit Corporation if at any time the amounts in the insurance fund are insufficient to allow FCIC to carry out its
duties. Even though the authority exists, FCIC did not request Commodity Credit Corporation funds in the reporting period.
USDA has a permanent indefinite appropriation for the crop insurance program used to cover premium subsidy, delivery
expenses, losses in excess of premiums, and research and delivery costs. FCIC has no outstanding borrowing as of September
30, 2023.
Please refer to the financial statements of the main contributing entities, HUD, NCUA, DHS, and USDA for additional
information.
Congress originally enacted the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act in November 2002, to address market disruptions
resulting from terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Most recently, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program
Reauthorization Act of 2019 extended TRIP until December 31, 2027. The TRIP helps to ensure available and affordable
commercial property and casualty insurance for terrorism risk, and simultaneously allows private markets to stabilize. The
authority to pay claims under TRIP is activated when the Secretary of the Treasury (in consultation with the Secretary of the
DHS and the U.S. Attorney General) certifies an “act of terrorism.” In the event of certification of an “act of terrorism”
insurers may be eligible to receive reimbursement from the U.S. government for associated insured losses assuming an
aggregate insured loss threshold (“Program Trigger”) has been reached once a particular insurer has satisfied its designated
deductible amount. For calendar years 2023 and 2022, the Program Trigger amount was $200.0 million. Insurance companies
and the U.S. government will share insured losses above insurer deductibles. TRIP includes both mandatory and
discretionary authority for Treasury to recoup federal payments made under TRIP through policyholder surcharges under
certain circumstances, and contains provisions designed to manage litigation arising from or relating to a certified “act of
terrorism.” There were no claims under TRIP as of September 30, 2023 or 2022.
Other Contingencies
DOT, HHS, and Treasury reported the following other contingencies:
FHWA has a reasonably possible contingency due to their authority to approve projects using advance construction
under 23 U.S.C. § 115(a) and 23 CFR 630.701-630.709. FHWA does not guarantee the ultimate funding to the states for
these “advance construction” projects and, accordingly, does not obligate any funds for these projects. The state may submit
a written request to FHWA that a project be converted to a regular federal aid project at any time provided that sufficient
federal aid funds and obligation authority are available. As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, FHWA has $75.4 billion and
$69.3 billion, respectively, of advanced construction authorizations that could be converted to federal obligations subject to
the availability of funds. These authorizations have not been recognized in the DOT consolidated financial statements.
Contingent liabilities have been accrued as a result of Medicaid audit and program disallowances that are currently
being appealed by the states. The Medicaid amounts are $8.2 billion and $7.0 billion for fiscal years ending September 30,
2023, and 2022, respectively. The states could return the funds through payments to HHS, or HHS could recoup the funds by
reducing future grant awards to the states. Conversely, if the appeals are decided in favor of the states, HHS will be required
135 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
to pay these amounts. In addition, certain amounts for payment have been deferred under the Medicaid program when there is
reasonable doubt as to the legitimacy of expenditures claimed by a state. There are also outstanding reviews of the state
expenditures in which a final determination has not been made.
Treasury has a contingency for future draws by the GSEs. There were no probable future draws accrued as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022, and the total amount of reasonably possible future draws is not estimable as of September 30,
2023. Refer to Note 8—Investments in Government-Sponsored Enterprises for additional information.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 136
Assets:
Cash and other monetary
assets
- - - 180.6 180.6 - 180.6
Benefits due and payable 111.0 29.8 106.3 10.1 257.2 - 257.2
Insurance and guarantee
program liabilities
- - - 5.2 5.2 - 5.2
Advances from others and
deferred revenues
- - 1.8 70.7 72.5 - 72.5
Other liabilities3 - - 10.4 219.7 230.1 - 230.1
Federal liabilities 6.7 0.8 130.7 212.4 350.6 (247.6) 103.0
Net position:
Total net position 2,574.2 116.1 575.4 494.8 3,760.5 - 3,760.5
Total liabilities and net
position
2,691.9 146.7 824.8 1,051.2 4,714.6 (247.6) 4,467.0
Federal non-exchange
revenue
62.7 3.5 - 39.8 106.0 - 106.0
1
The combined presentation does not eliminate intra-entity balances or transactions between funds from dedicated collections held by the
entity.
2
The consolidated dedicated collections presentation eliminates balances and transactions between funds from dedicated collections
held by the entity, but does not eliminate balances or transactions between funds from dedicated collections and funds from other than
dedicated collections.
3
Other assets and other liabilities include multiple line items on the Balance Sheet.
4
By law, certain expenses (costs), revenues, and other financing sources related to the administration of the above funds are not charged
to the funds and are therefore financed and/or credited to other sources.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 138
Assets:
Cash and other monetary
assets
- - - 167.8 167.8 - 167.8
Benefits due and payable 98.7 24.2 85.1 10.2 218.2 - 218.2
Insurance and guarantee
program liabilities
- - - 9.6 9.6 - 9.6
Advances from others and
deferred revenues
- - 1.3 66.4 67.7 - 67.7
Other liabilities3 - - - 190.1 190.1 - 190.1
Federal liabilities 6.4 0.9 108.6 213.7 329.6 (205.2) 124.4
Net position:
Total net position 2,636.2 93.2 499.4 467.6 3,696.4 - 3,696.4
Total liabilities and net
position
2,741.3 118.3 694.5 995.0 4,549.1 (205.2) 4,343.9
1
The combined presentation does not eliminate intra-entity balances or transactions between funds from dedicated collections held by the
entity.
2
The consolidated dedicated collections presentation eliminates balances and transactions between funds from dedicated collections
held by the entity, but does not eliminate balances or transactions between funds from dedicated collections and funds from other than
dedicated collections.
3
Other assets and other liabilities include multiple line items on the Balance Sheet.
4
By law, certain expenses (costs), revenues, and other financing sources related to the administration of the above funds are not charged
to the funds and are therefore financed and/or credited to other sources.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 140
Generally, funds from dedicated collections are financed by specifically identified revenues, often supplemented by
other financing sources, provided to the government by non-federal sources, which remain available over time. These
specifically identified revenues and other financing sources are required by statute to be used for designated activities,
benefits, or purposes and must be accounted for separately from the government’s general revenues. Funds from dedicated
collections generally include trust funds, public enterprise revolving funds (not including credit reform financing funds), and
special funds. Funds from dedicated collections specifically exclude any fund established to account for pensions, ORB,
OPEB, or other benefits provided for federal employees (civilian and military). In the Budget, the term “trust fund” means
only that the law requires a particular fund to be accounted for separately, used only for a specified purpose, and designated
as a trust fund. A change in law may change the future receipts and the terms under which the fund’s resources are spent. In
the private sector, trust fund refers to funds of one party held and managed by a second party (the trustee) in a fiduciary
capacity. The activity of funds from dedicated collections differs from fiduciary activities primarily in that assets within
funds from dedicated collections are government-owned. For additional information related to fiduciary activities, see Note
23—Fiduciary Activities.
Public enterprise revolving funds include expenditure accounts authorized by law to be credited with offsetting
collections, mostly from the public, that are generated by and dedicated to finance a continuing cycle of business-type
operations. Some of the financing for these funds may be from appropriations.
Special funds are federal funds dedicated by law for a specific purpose. Special funds include the special fund receipt
account and the special fund expenditure account.
Total assets represent the unexpended balance from all sources of receipts and amounts due to the funds from dedicated
collections, regardless of source, including related governmental transactions. These are transactions between two different
entities within the government or intradepartmental (for example, monies received by one entity of the government from
another entity of the government).
The federal assets are comprised of fund balances with Treasury, investments in Treasury securities—including
unamortized amounts, and other assets that include the related accrued interest receivable on federal investments. These
amounts were excluded in preparing the principal financial statements. The non-federal assets include activity with
individuals and organizations outside of the government.
Most of the assets within funds from dedicated collections are invested in intra-governmental debt holdings. The
government does not set aside assets to pay future benefits or other expenditures associated with funds from dedicated
collections. The cash receipts collected from the public for funds from dedicated collections are deposited in the General
Fund, which uses the cash for general government purposes. Treasury securities are issued to federal entities as evidence of
its receipts. Treasury securities are an asset to the federal entities and a liability to Treasury and, therefore, they do not
represent an asset or a liability in the Financial Report. These securities require redemption if a fund’s disbursements exceeds
its receipts. Redeeming these securities will increase the government’s financing needs and require more borrowing from the
public (or less repayment of debt), or will result in higher taxes than otherwise would have been needed, or less spending on
other programs than otherwise would have occurred, or some combination thereof. See Note 12—Federal Debt and Interest
Payable for additional information related to the investments in federal debt securities.
Below is a description of the major funds from dedicated collections, which also identifies the government entities that
administer each particular fund. For additional information regarding funds from dedicated collections, please refer to the
financial statements of the corresponding administering entities. For additional information on the benefits due and payable
liability associated with certain funds from dedicated collections, see Note 15—Benefits Due and Payable.
In accordance with SFFAS No. 43, any funds established to account for pension, other retirement, or OPEB to civilian
or military personnel are excluded from the reporting requirements related to funds from dedicated collections.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 142
In accordance with the requirements of SFFAS No. 31, Accounting for Fiduciary Activities, fiduciary investments in
Treasury securities and fund balance with Treasury held by fiduciary funds are to be recognized on the Balance Sheet as
federal debt and interest payable and a liability for fiduciary fund balance with Treasury, respectively.
As of September 30, 2023, total fiduciary investments in Treasury securities and in non-Treasury securities are $296.8 billion
and $496.5 billion, respectively. As of September 30, 2022, total fiduciary investments in Treasury securities and in non-
Treasury securities were $318.4 billion and $406.3 billion, respectively. Refer to Note 12—Federal Debt and Interest Payable
for more information on Treasury securities.
As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, the total fiduciary fund balance with Treasury is $1.7 billion and $1.7 billion,
respectively. A liability for this fiduciary fund balance with Treasury is reflected as other miscellaneous liabilities in Note
18—Other Liabilities.
As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, collectively, the fiduciary investments in Treasury securities and fiduciary fund
balance with Treasury held by all government entities represent $5.1 billion and $4.8 billion, respectively, of unrestricted
cash included within cash held by Treasury for government-wide operations shown in Note 2—Cash and Other Monetary
Assets.
6
For the purposes of this analysis, spending is defined in terms of outlays. In the context of federal budgeting, spending can either refer to budget authority –
the authority to commit the government to make a payment; to obligations – binding agreements that will result in payments, either immediately or in the
future; or to outlays – actual payments made.
7
GDP is a standard measure of the overall size of the economy and represents the total market value of all final goods and services produced domestically
during a given period of time. The components of GDP are: private sector consumption and investment, government consumption and investment, and net
exports (exports less imports). Equivalently, GDP is a measure of the gross income generated from domestic production over the same time period.
8
PVs recognize that a dollar paid or collected in the future is worth less than a dollar today because a dollar today could be invested and earn interest. To
calculate a PV, future amounts are thus reduced using an assumed interest rate, and those reduced amounts are summed.
9
Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports can be found at https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/.
145 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The projections shown in the SLTFP are made over a 75-year time frame, consistent with the time frame featured in the
Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports. However, these projections are for fiscal years starting on October 1, whereas
the Trustees Reports feature calendar-year projections. Using fiscal years allows the projections to start from the actual
budget results from FYs 2023 and 2022.
This year’s estimate of the 75-year PV imbalance of receipts less non-interest spending is 3.8 percent of the current 75-
year PV of GDP, compared to 4.2 percent as was projected in last year’s Financial Report. 10 The above table reports the
effects of various factors on the updated projections.
• The largest factor affecting the projections is the effect of new Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid program-
specific actuarial assumptions, which decrease the fiscal imbalance as a share of the 75-year PV of GDP by 0.6
percentage points ($10.6 trillion). 11 The change is primarily attributable to near-term growth rate assumptions for
Medicaid. In the 2022 projections, growth rates through 2027 followed projections in the 2018 Medicaid Actuarial
Report. 12 Growth rates for the 2023 projections are based on the NHE data and reflect the expiration of temporary
measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The second largest factor affecting the projections—increasing the imbalance as a share of the 75-year PV of GDP
by 0.4 percentage points ($7.4 trillion)—is due to actual budget results for FY 2023 and baseline estimates published
in the FY 2024 President’s Budget, plus adjustments to discretionary spending enacted in the FRA (P.L. 118-5).
This deterioration in the fiscal position is largely due to a higher 75-year PV of discretionary spending on defense
programs and mandatory spending on programs other than Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and lower
individual income taxes as a share of wages and salaries. That deterioration is partially offset by a lower 75-year PV
of spending on non-defense discretionary programs—attributable to the FRA caps—and higher other receipts.
• The next largest factor affecting the projections is the update of economic and demographic assumptions that
decreases the fiscal imbalance by 0.3 percentage points ($5.0 trillion). Contributing to this improvement in the
imbalance are higher wages that increase receipts and GDP growth rates that lead to reduced spending as a
percentage of GDP. The 75-year PV of GDP for this year’s projections is $1,919.1 trillion, greater than last year's
$1,872.9 trillion.
• The fourth largest factor affecting the projected imbalance is the change in reporting period—the effect of shifting
calculations from 2023 through 2097 to 2024 through 2098. The update increases the imbalance of the 75-year PV
10
The fiscal imbalances reported in the long-term fiscal projections do not include the initial level of publicly held debt, which was $26.2 trillion in 2023 and
$24.3 trillion in 2022, and, therefore, they do not by themselves answer the question of how large fiscal reforms must be to make fiscal policy sustainable.
See “Sustainability and the Fiscal Gap” for additional discussion. More information on the projections in last year’s Financial Report can be found in Note
24 to the financial statements here: https://fiscal.treasury.gov/reports-statements/#.
11
For more information on Social Security and Medicare actuarial estimates, refer to Note 25—Social Insurance.
12
Christopher J. Truffer, Kathryn E. Rennie, Lindsey Wilson, and Eric T. Eckstein II, 2018 Actuarial Report on the Financial Outlook for Medicaid, Office
of the Actuary, CMS, and HHS.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 146
of receipts less non-interest spending by $1.9 trillion, which has a negligible effect as a share of the 75-year PV of
GDP.
The net effect of the changes in the table above, equal to the penultimate row in the SLTFP, shows that this year’s
estimate of the overall 75-year PV of receipts less non-interest spending is negative 3.8 percent of the 75-year PV of GDP
(negative $73.2 trillion, as compared to a GDP of $1,919.1 trillion). This imbalance can be broken down by funding source.
Spending projections exceeded receipts by 2.2 percent of GDP (about $42.2 trillion) among programs funded by the
government’s general revenues, and there is an imbalance of 1.6 percent of GDP (about $30.9 trillion) 13 for the combination
of Social Security (OASDI) and Medicare Part A, which under current law are funded with payroll taxes and not in any
material respect with general revenues. 14, 15 By comparison, the FY 2022 projections showed that programs funded by the
government’s general revenues had an excess of spending over receipts of 2.7 percent of GDP ($50.2 trillion) while the
payroll tax-funded programs had an imbalance of spending over receipts of 1.6 percent of GDP ($29.4 trillion).
Sustainability and the Fiscal Gap
This Financial Report presents data, including debt, as a percent of GDP to help readers assess whether current fiscal
policy is sustainable. The debt-to-GDP ratio was approximately 97 percent at the end of FY 2023. As discussed further in the
unaudited RSI, the projections based on this Financial Report’s assumptions indicate that current policy is not sustainable. If
current policy is left unchanged, the projections show the debt-to-GDP ratio will be approximately 100 percent in 2024, rise
to 200 percent by 2047 and reach 531 percent in 2098. Moreover, if the trends that underlie the 75-year projections were to
continue, the debt-to-GDP ratio would continue to rise beyond the 75-year window.
The fiscal gap measures how much the primary surplus (receipts less non-interest spending) must increase in order for
fiscal policy to achieve a target debt-to-GDP ratio in a particular future year. In these projections, the fiscal gap is estimated
over a 75-year period, from 2024 to 2098, and the target debt-to-GDP ratio is equal to the ratio at the beginning of the
projection period, in this case the estimated debt-to-GDP ratio at the end of FY 2023. The target year is the last year of the
75-year period (2098).
The 75-year fiscal gap under current policy is estimated at 4.5 percent of GDP, which is 23.8 percent of the 75-year PV
of projected receipts and 19.8 percent of the 75-year PV of non-interest spending. This estimate of the fiscal gap is 0.4
percentage points smaller than was estimated in 2022 (4.9 percent of GDP).
The projections show that projected primary deficits average 3.8 percent of GDP over the next 75 years under current
policy. If policies were put in place that would close the fiscal gap, the average primary surplus over the next 75 years would
be 0.6 percent of GDP, 4.5 percentage points higher than the projected PV of receipts less non-interest spending shown in the
SLTFP. In these projections, closing the fiscal gap requires running a substantially positive level of primary surplus, rather
than simply eliminating the primary deficit. The primary reason is that the projections assume future interest rates will exceed
the growth rate of GDP. Achieving primary balance (that is, running a primary surplus of zero) implies that the debt held by
the public grows each year by the amount of interest spending, which under these assumptions would result in debt growing
faster than GDP.
13
The 75-year PV imbalance for Social Security and Medicare Part A of $30.9 trillion is comprised of several line items from the SLTFP – Social Security
outlays net of Social Security payroll taxes ($33.5 trillion) and Medicare Part A outlays net of Medicare payroll taxes ($10.4 trillion) – as well as
subcomponents of these programs not presented separately in the statement. These subcomponents include Social Security and Medicare Part A
administrative costs that are classified as non-defense discretionary spending ($0.6 trillion) and Social Security and Medicare Part A income other than
payroll taxes: taxation of benefits (-$6.4 trillion), federal employer share (-$1.5 trillion), and other income (-$5.8 trillion).
14
Social Security and Medicare Part A expenditures can exceed payroll tax revenues in any given year to the extent that there are sufficient balances in the
respective trust funds; these balances derive from past excesses of payroll tax revenues over expenditures and interest earned on those balances and represent
the amount the General Fund owes the respective trust fund programs. When spending does exceed payroll tax revenues, as has occurred each year since
2008 for Medicare Part A and 2010 for Social Security, the excess spending is financed first with interest due from the General Fund and secondly with a
drawdown of the trust fund balance; in either case, the spending is ultimately supported by general revenues or borrowing. Under current law, benefits for
Social Security and Medicare Part A can be paid only to the extent that there are sufficient balances in the respective trust funds. In order for the long-term
fiscal projections to reflect the full size of these programs’ commitments to pay future benefits, the projections assume that all scheduled benefits will be
financed with borrowing to the extent necessary after the trust funds are depleted.
15
The fiscal imbalances reported in the long-term fiscal projections are limited to future outlays and receipts. They do not include the initial level of
publicly-held debt, $26.2 trillion in 2023 and $24.3 trillion in 2022, and therefore they do not by themselves answer the question of how large fiscal reforms
must be to make fiscal policy sustainable, or how those reforms divide between reforms to Social Security and Medicare Part A and to other programs. Other
things equal, past cash flows (primarily surpluses) for Social Security and Medicare Part A reduced federal debt at the end of 2023 by $3.0 trillion (the trust
fund balances at that time); the contribution of other programs to federal debt at the end of 2023 was therefore $29.2 trillion. Similarly, because the $30.9
trillion imbalance between outlays and receipts over the next 75 years for Social Security and Medicare Part A does not take account of the Social Security
and Medicare Part A trust fund balances, it overstates the magnitude of reforms necessary to make Social Security and Medicare Part A solvent over 75
years by $3.0 trillion. The $3.0 trillion combined Social Security and Medicare Part A trust fund balance represents a claim on future general revenues.
147 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
16
See the FY 2024 President’s Budget, Analytical Perspectives Volume, Chapter 3 “Long-Term Budget Outlook.”
17
Medicare Part B and D premiums and state contributions to Part D are subtracted from the Part B and D spending displayed in the SLTFP. The total 75-
year PV of these subtractions is $20.1 trillion, or 1.0 percent of GDP.
18
This represents an update to the model’s assumptions and methodology. In the 2022 Financial Report, Medicaid projections began with the projections
from the 2018 Medicaid Actuarial Report prepared by the CMS’s Office of Actuary, and those projections were similarly adjusted to account for actual
spending in the most recently completed fiscal year. Actual Medicaid spending in FY 2022 included temporary spending increases due to changes in
enrollment and other temporary measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Spending associated with those temporary measures could not be identified
and excluded from budget totals before Medicaid outlays were projected, adding uncertainty to the 2022 long-term fiscal projections.
19
NHE data are available at https://www.cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/national-health-expenditure-data.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 148
the number of beneficiaries is projected to grow at the same rate as total population. Medicaid cost per beneficiary is
assumed to grow at the same rate as Medicare benefits per beneficiary after 2034, after a three-year phase-in to the
Medicare per beneficiary growth rate over the period 2032-2034. Between 1987 and 2017, the average annual
growth rates of spending per beneficiary for Medicaid and Medicare were within 0.3 percentage point of each other.
Projections of Medicaid spending are subject to added uncertainty related to: 1) assumed reductions in health care
cost growth discussed above in the context of Medicare; 2) the projected size of the Medicaid enrolled population,
which depends on a variety of factors, including future state actions regarding the PPACA Medicaid expansion; and
3) any continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Other Mandatory Spending: Other mandatory spending includes federal employee retirement, veterans’ disability
benefits, and means-tested entitlements other than Medicaid. Current mandatory spending components that are
judged permanent under current policy are assumed to increase by the rate of growth in nominal GDP starting in
2024, implying that such spending will remain constant as a percent of GDP. 20, 21 Projected spending for insurance
exchange subsidies starting in 2024 grows with growth in the non-elderly population and with the NHE projected
per enrollee cost growth for other private health insurance for the NHE projection period (through 2031 for the FY
2023 projections), and with growth in per enrollee health care costs as projected for the Medicare program after that
period. As discussed in Note 25, there is uncertainty about whether the reductions in health care cost growth
projected in the Medicare Trustees Report will be fully achieved. Projected exchange subsidy spending as a percent
of GDP remains below the failsafe provision in the PPACA that limits the federal share of spending to 0.504 percent
of GDP.
• Defense and Non-defense Discretionary Spending: Discretionary spending through 2025 follows the caps enacted
in the FRA, then grows with GDP starting in 2026. To illustrate sensitivity to different assumptions, PV calculations
under alternative discretionary growth scenarios are presented in the unaudited “Alternative Scenarios” RSI section.
• Receipts (Other than Social Security and Medicare Payroll Taxes): Individual income taxes are based on the
share of salaries and wages in the current law baseline projection in the FY 2024 President’s Budget, and the salaries
and wages projections in the Social Security 2023 Trustees Report. That baseline accords with the tendency of
effective tax rates to increase as growth in income per capita outpaces inflation (also known as “bracket creep”) and
the expiration dates of individual income and estate and gift tax provisions of TCJA. Individual income taxes
increase gradually from 19 percent of wages and salaries in 2024 to 29 percent of wages and salaries in 2098 as real
taxable incomes rise over time and an increasing share of total income is taxed in the higher tax brackets. Through
the first 10 years of the projections, corporation tax receipts as a percent of GDP reflect the economic and budget
assumptions used in developing the FY 2024 President’s Budget 10-year baseline budgetary estimates. After this
time, corporation tax receipts grow at the same rate as nominal GDP. Other receipts also reflect the FY 2024
President’s Budget baseline levels as a share of GDP throughout the budget window, and grow with GDP outside of
the budget window. Corporation tax receipts fall from 1.7 percent of GDP in 2024 to 1.2 percent of GDP in 2033,
where they stay for the remainder of the projection period. The ratio of other receipts, including excise taxes, estate
and gift taxes, customs duties, and miscellaneous receipts, to GDP is estimated to increase from 1.1 percent in 2024
to 1.2 percent by 2027 where it remains through the projection period. To illustrate uncertainty, PV calculations
under higher and lower receipts growth scenarios are presented in the “Alternative Scenarios” section.
• Debt and Interest Spending: Interest spending is determined by projected interest rates and the level of outstanding
debt held by the public. The long-run interest rate assumptions accord with those in the 2023 Social Security
Trustees Report. 22 The average interest rate over this year’s projection period is 4.5 percent, approximately the same
as the 2022 Financial Report. These rates are also used to convert future cash flows to PVs as of the start of FY
2024. Debt at the end of each year is projected by adding that year’s deficit and other financing requirements to the
debt at the end of the previous year.
Departures of Current Policy from Current Law
The long-term fiscal projections are made on the basis of current policy, which in some cases is assumed to be different
from current law. The notable differences between current policy that underlies the projections and current law are: 1)
20
Other mandatory spending in 2023 from legislation enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is considered temporary and is not assumed to
increase with nominal GDP. Such spending is identified using Disaster Emergency Fund Code attributes in budget execution data for the following: the
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127); the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136); the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement
Act (P.L. 116-139); the CAA, 2021 (P.L. 116-260, Division N); and the ARP (P.L. 117-2). Spending data for COVID-19 response legislation are available
on USAspending.gov.
21
This assumed growth rate for other mandatory programs after 2024 is slightly higher than the average growth rate in the most recent OMB and
Congressional Budget Office 10-year budget baselines.
22
As indicated in the more detailed discussion of Social Insurance in Note 25 to the financial statements.
149 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
projected spending, receipts, and borrowing levels assume raising or suspending the current statutory limit on federal debt; 2)
continued discretionary appropriations are assumed throughout the projection period; 3) scheduled Social Security and
Medicare Part A benefit payments are assumed to occur beyond the projected point of trust fund depletion; and 4) many
mandatory programs with expiration dates prior to the end of the 75-year projection period are assumed to be reauthorized.
As is true in the Medicare Trustees Report and in the SOSI, the projections incorporate programmatic changes already
scheduled in law, such as the PPACA productivity adjustment for non-physician Medicare services and the expiration of
certain physician bonus payments in 2025.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 150
23
Trust fund balances for the Railroad Retirement and Black Lung programs are not included, as these balances are less than $50.0 billion.
151 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1
As of the valuation date of the respective programs.
Income:
Part A 31.3 31.3
Part B 3 15.7 17.9
Part D 4 3.0 3.0
Total income 50.0 52.2
Expenditures:
Part A 35.9 42.3
Part B 56.6 64.5
Part D 10.6 10.6
Total expenditures 103.1 117.4
1
These amounts are not presented in the current fiscal year Trustees Report.
2
A set of illustrative alternative Medicare projections has been prepared under a hypothetical modification to current law. No
endorsement of the illustrative alternative by the Trustees, CMS, or the Office of the Actuary should be inferred.
3
Excludes $40.9 trillion and $46.6 trillion of general revenue contributions from the 2023 Consolidated SOSI Current Law projection and
the Illustrative Alternative Scenario's projection, respectively; i.e., to reflect Part B income on a consolidated government-wide basis.
4
Excludes $7.6 trillion of general revenue contributions from both the 2023 Consolidated SOSI Current Law projection and the Illustrative
Alternative Scenario's projection; i.e., to reflect Part D income on a consolidated government-wide basis.
153 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Social Security and Medicare – Demographic and Economic Assumptions and Summary Measures
Demographic Assumptions
2023 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090 210013
Total Fertility Rate 1
1.7 1.9 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Age-Sex Adjusted Death Rate2 798.0 738.4 679.9 627.3 580.7 539.4 502.7 469.9 440.6
Net Annual Immigration3 2,030 1,348 1,291 1,258 1,241 1,228 1,220 1,216 1,214
Period Life Expectancy at Birth - Male4 76.1 77.1 78.1 79.2 80.2 81.1 82.0 82.9 83.6
Period Life Expectancy at Birth - Female4 81.2 82.1 83.0 83.8 84.7 85.4 86.1 86.8 87.4
1
Average number of children per woman.
2
The age-sex-adjusted death rate per 100,000 that would occur in the enumerated population as of April 1, 2010, if that population were
to experience the death rates by age and sex observed in, or assumed for, the selected year.
3
Includes legal immigration, net of emigration, as well as other, non-legal, immigration per thousand of persons.
4
Summary measure of average number of years expected prior to death for a person born on January 1 in that year, using the
mortality rates for that year over the course of his or her remaining life. (Social Security)
5
Difference between percentage increases in wages and the CPI.
6
Average annual wage in covered employment.
7
CPI represents a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed group of goods and services.
8
Total dollar value of all goods and services produced in the U.S., adjusted to remove the impact of assumed inflation growth.
9
Summary measure of average weekly U.S. civilian employment and U.S. Armed Forces. (Social Security)
10
The average of the nominal interest rates, compounded semi-annually, for special public-debt obligations issuable monthly.
11
Average rate of interest earned on new trust fund securities, above and beyond rate of inflation. (Medicare)
12
These increases reflect the overall impact of more detailed assumptions that are made for each of the different type of services provided
by the Medicare program. These assumptions include changes in the payment rates, utilization, and intensity of each type
of services. (Medicare)
13
The valuation period used for the 2023 Statement of Social Insurance extends to 2097. (Social Security) Medicare did not report
assumptions for 2100.
14
Reflects the updated expectations for healthcare spending following the COVID-19 pandemic.
15
Reflects IRA of 2022.
The Boards of Trustees 24 of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds provide in their annual reports to Congress
short-range (10-year) and long-range (75-year) actuarial estimates of each trust fund. Significant uncertainty surrounds the
estimates, especially for a period as long as 75 years. To illustrate the range of uncertainty, the Trustees use three alternative
24
The boards are composed of six members. Four members serve by virtue of their positions in the federal government: the Secretary of the Treasury, who is
the Managing Trustee; the Secretary of Labor; the Secretary of HHS; and the Commissioner of Social Security. The President appoints and the Senate
confirms the other two members to serve as public representatives. These two positions are currently vacant.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 154
scenarios (low-cost, intermediate, and high-cost) that use specific assumptions. These assumptions include fertility rates,
rates of change in mortality, LPR and other than LPR immigration levels, emigration levels, changes in real GDP, changes in
the CPI, changes in average real wages, unemployment rates, trust fund real yield rates, and disability incidence and recovery
rates. The assumptions used for the most recent set of projections shown above in the Social Security and Medicare
demographic and economic assumption table are generally referred to as the “intermediate assumptions,” and reflect the
Trustees reasonable estimate of expected future experience. For additional information on Social Security and Medicare
demographic and economic assumptions, refer to SSA’s and HHS’s financial statements.
The RRB’s estimated future revenues and expenditures reflected in the SOSI are based on various economic, employment,
and other actuarial assumptions, and assume that the program will continue as presently constructed. For further details on
actuarial assumptions related to the program and how these assumptions affect amounts presented on the SOSI and SCSIA,
consult the Technical Supplement to the 28th Actuarial Valuation of the Assets and Liabilities Under the Railroad Retirement
Acts as of December 31, 2019, the 2023 Annual Report of the Railroad Retirement System required by Section 502 of the
Railroad Retirement Solvency Act of 1983 (P.L. 98-76), and RRB’s financial statements.
The BLDBP significant assumptions used in the projections are the coal excise tax revenue estimates, the tax rate
structure, the number of beneficiaries, life expectancy, federal civilian pay raises, medical cost inflation, and the interest rates
used to discount future cash flows.
cover the current valuation. Changing the valuation period removes a small negative estimated net cash flow for 2022,
replaces it with much larger negative estimated cash flow for 2097, and measures the PV as of January 1, 2023, one year
later. As a result, the PV of the estimated future net cash flows decrease by $0.7 trillion and $1.3 trillion for Social Security
and Medicare, respectively.
From the period beginning on January 1, 2021 to the period beginning on January 1, 2022
The effect on the 75-year PV of changing the valuation period from the prior valuation period (2021-2095) to the
current valuation period (2022-2096) is measured by using the assumptions for the prior valuation and extending them to
cover the current valuation. Changing the valuation period removes a small negative estimated net cash flow for 2021,
replaces it with a much larger negative estimated net cash flow for 2096, and measures the PV as of January 1, 2022, one
year later. As a result, the PV of the estimated future net cash flows decreased by $0.7 trillion and $1.0 trillion for Social
Security and Medicare, respectively.
Changes in Demographic Data, Assumptions, and Methods
From the period beginning on January 1, 2022 to the period beginning on January 1, 2023
For the current valuation (beginning on January 1, 2023), the ultimate demographic assumptions are the same as those
for the prior valuation. However, the starting demographic values and the way these values transition to the ultimate
assumptions were changed.
• Projected birth rates through 2055, during the period of transition to the ultimate level, were slightly lower than in
the prior valuation.
• Updates to near-term mortality assumptions to better reflect the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic led to an
increase in death rates through 2024 compared to the prior valuation.
• Historical population data, other-than-lawful permanent resident immigration data, and marriage and divorce data
were updated since the prior valuation.
There was one notable change in demographic methodology. The method for projecting the age distributions of LPR
new arrival and adjustment-of-status immigrants was updated reflecting recent data showing a slightly older population at the
time of attaining LPR status than had previously been estimated. This change decreased PV of the estimated future net cash
flows.
Overall, changes in demographic data, assumptions, and methods caused the PV of the estimated future net cash flows
to decrease by $0.1 trillion for Social Security and Medicare, respectively.
From the period beginning on January 1, 2021 to the period beginning on January 1, 2022
For the current valuation (beginning on January 1, 2022), the ultimate demographic assumptions are the same as those
for the prior valuation. However, the starting demographic values and the way these values transition to the ultimate
assumptions were changed.
• Final birth rate data for calendar year 2020 indicated slightly lower birth rates than were assumed in the prior
valuation.
• Near-term LPR immigration data were updated since the prior valuation; near-term LPR immigration assumptions
were also updated to better reflect the expected effects of the recovery from the pandemic.
• Historical population data and other-than-LPR immigration data were updated since the prior valuation.
There was one notable change in demographic methodology. An improvement was made to put more emphasis on
recent mortality data by increasing the weights for the most recent years in the regressions used to calculate the starting rates
of improvement and starting death rates. This change decreased the PV of the estimated future net cash flows.
Overall, changes in demographic data, assumptions, and methods caused the PV of the estimated future net cash flows
to decrease by $0.3 trillion and $0.5 trillion for Social Security and Medicare, respectively.
Changes in Economic Data, Assumptions, and Methods (Social Security Only)
From the period beginning on January 1, 2022 to the period beginning on January 1, 2023
For the current valuation (beginning of January 1, 2023), there was one change to the ultimate economic assumptions.
• The annual percentage change in the average OASDI covered wage, adjusted for inflation, is assumed to average
1.14 percentage points over the last 65 years of the 75-year projection period. This is 0.02 percentage point higher
than the value assumed for the prior valuation.
This change to the wage growth assumptions increased the PV of estimated future net cash flows. In addition to this
change, the starting economic values, and the way these values transition to the ultimate assumptions were changed. The
most significant changes are identified below.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 156
• The levels of GDP and labor productivity are assumed to be about 3.0 percent lower by 2026 and for all years
thereafter relative to the prior valuation.
• The assumed real interest rates over the first 10 years of the projection period are generally higher than those
assumed for the prior valuation.
The changes to the GDP and productivity levels decreased the PV of the estimated future net cash flows, while the
change to near-term real interest increased the PV of the estimated future net cash flows.
There was one notable change in economic methodology. The method for estimating the level of OASDI taxable wages
for historical year 2000-21 was improved by adopting a more consistent approach for estimating completed values across
various types of wages. This change increased the PV of the estimated future net cash flows. Overall, changes to economic
data, assumptions and methods caused the PV of the estimated future net cash flows to decrease by $0.8 trillion for Social
Security.
From the period beginning on January 1, 2021 to the period beginning on January 1, 2022
For the current valuation (beginning on January 1, 2022), the ultimate economic assumptions are the same as those for
the prior valuation. However, the starting economic values and the way these values transition to the ultimate assumptions
were changed. The most significant are identified below.
• Near-term real interest rates are assumed to be slightly higher on average than those for the prior valuation.
• Economic starting values and near-term growth assumptions were updated to reflect the stronger-than-expected
recovery from the pandemic-induced recession.
• The level of potential GDP for years 2021 and later is assumed to be about 1.1 percent higher than the level in the
prior valuation, reflecting the strong recovery and the expectation of a permanent level shift in total economy labor
productivity.
The changes to near-term real interest rates and the resulting effects on PV calculations decreased the PV of the
estimated future net cash flows, while changes to starting values and near-term economic growth assumptions and the level
shift in the assumptions for potential GDP increased the PV of the estimated future net cash flows.
There were no additional notable changes in economic methodology. Overall, changes to economic data, assumptions,
and methods caused the PV of the estimated future net cash flows to decrease by $0.2 trillion for Social Security.
Changes in Law or Policy
From the period beginning on January 1, 2022 to the period beginning on January 1, 2023
For Social Security, between prior valuation (beginning on January 1, 2022) and the current valuation (beginning
January 1, 2023, no notable changes in law or policy are expected to have a significant effect on the long-range cost of
OASDI program.
Most of the provisions enacted as part of the Medicare legislation since prior valuation date had little or no impact on
the program. The following provisions did have a financial impact.
• The Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 (P.L. 117-108, enacted on April 6, 2022) included one provision that affects
Parts B and D of the SMI program.
• The IRA of 2022 (P.L. 117-169, enacted on August 16, 2022) included provisions that affect the SMI programs.
• The Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-180, enacted on
September 30, 2022) included provisions that affect the HI and SMI programs.
• The Further Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-229, enacted on December 16, 2022)
included provisions that affect the HI and SMI programs.
• The CAA, 2023 (P.L. 117-328, enacted on December 29, 2022) included provisions that affect the HI and SMI
programs.
Overall, the changes to these laws, regulations, and policies caused the PV of the estimated future net cash flow to
increase by $1.1 trillion for Medicare.
From the period beginning on January 1, 2021 to the period beginning on January 1, 2022
The monetary effect of the changes in law or policy on the PV of estimated future net cash flows of the OASDI and
Medicare programs was not significant at the consolidated level. Please refer to SSA’s and HHS’s financial statements for
additional information related to the impact of the changes in law or policy on the PV of estimated future net cash flows of
the OASDI and Medicare programs.
157 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
From the period beginning on January 1, 2021 to the period beginning on January 1, 2022
Actual income and expenditures in 2021 were different from what was anticipated when the 2021 Trustees Report
projections were prepared. For Part A, income was higher, and expenditures were lower than anticipated in 2021 based on
actual expenditures. Part B income and expenditures were lower than estimated based on actual experience. Part D income
and expenditures were higher than estimated based on actual experience. Actual experience of the Medicare Trust Funds
between January 1, 2021 and January 1, 2022 is incorporated in the current valuation and is more than projected in the prior
valuation. Overall, the net impact of Part A, B, and D projection base change is an increase in the estimated future net cash
flows by $2.5 trillion for Medicare.
159 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
In addition to the purchase/ownership of the Amtrak preferred stock, the government has provided funding to Amtrak,
since 1972, primarily through grants and loans. Amtrak receives grants from the government that cover a portion of the
corporation’s annual operating expenses and capital investments. Funding provided to Amtrak through grant agreements are
included in the Budget and the DOT financial statements. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, the net cost amount
related to grants was $2.9 billion, and total budgetary outlays were $3.2 billion. For the fiscal year ended September 30,
2022, the net cost amount related to grants was $3.2 billion, and total budgetary outlays were $2.3 billion.
The government (through the DOT) has possession of two long-term notes with Amtrak. The first note is for $4.0
billion and matures in 2975 and, the second note is for $1.1 billion and matures in 2082 with renewable 99-year terms.
Interest is not accruing on these notes as long as the current financial structure of Amtrak remains unchanged. If the financial
structure of Amtrak changes, both principal and accrued interest are due and payable. The government does not recognize the
long-term notes in its financial statements since the notes, with maturity dates of 2975 and 2082, are considered fully
uncollectible due to the lengthy terms, Amtrak’s history of operating losses, and ability to generate funds for repayment.
Amtrak’s ability to continue to operate in its current form is dependent upon the continued receipt of subsidies from the
government.
Financial statements and other information (including loans) concerning Amtrak may be obtained at
https://www.amtrak.com/reports-documents and https://www.transportation.gov/fy23-afr.
Related Parties
Related parties exist if the existing relationship, or one party to the existing relationship, has the ability to exercise
significant influence over the party’s policy decisions. Related parties do not meet the principles for inclusion, but are
reported in the Financial Report if they maintain relationships of such significance that it would be misleading to exclude.
Based on the criteria in SFFAS No. 47, the related parties reported in the Financial Report are FHLBanks, IMF,
Multilateral Banks, and PEFCO. In addition, there are additional related parties reported by component reporting entities that
do not meet the criteria to be reported in the Financial Report.
Federal Home Loan Banks
The government is empowered with supervisory and regulatory oversight of the 11 FHLBanks. The government is
responsible for ensuring that each regulated entity operates in a safe and sound manner, including maintenance of adequate
capital and internal control, and carries out its housing and community development finance missions. Each FHLBank
operates as a separate federally chartered corporation with its own board of directors, management, and employees. The
FHLBanks are GSEs that were organized under the Federal Home Loan Bank Act of 1932, to serve the public by enhancing
the availability of credit for residential mortgages and targeted community development. They are financial cooperatives that
provide a readily available, competitively-priced source of funds to their member institutions. The FHLBanks are not
government entities and do not receive financial support from taxpayers. The government does not guarantee, directly or
indirectly, the debt securities or other obligations of FHLBanks.
By law, in the event of certain adverse circumstances, Treasury is authorized to purchase up to $4.0 billion of
obligations of the FHLBanks. This authority may be exercised only if alternative means cannot be effectively employed to
permit the FHLBanks to continue to supply reasonable amounts of funds to the mortgage market, and the ability to supply
such funds is substantially impaired because of monetary stringency and a high level of interest rates. Any funds borrowed
from Treasury shall be repaid by the FHLBanks at the earliest practicable date. Treasury has not used such authority. Also, in
accordance with the Government Corporations Control Act, Treasury prescribes certain terms concerning the FHLBanks
issuance of obligations to the public. Financial and other information concerning FHLBanks including financial statements
may be obtained at http://www.fhlbanks.com/.
International Monetary Fund and Multilateral Development Banks
The IMF’s primary purpose is to ensure the stability of the international monetary system—the system of exchange
rates and international payments that enables countries to transact with each other. Member countries provide resources for
IMF loans through their subscription quotas (quotas). The IMF also has additional pools of resources that can be used in the
event of a crisis that requires lending beyond the level available from quota resources: 1) the NAB; 2) bilateral borrowing
arrangements; and 3) additional allocation of SDRs. Participation in the IMF works like an exchange of monetary assets.
Quotas are the principal component of the IMF’s financial resources and are denominated in SDR. The size of each
member’s quota is based broadly on its relative position in the world economy. The U.S. holds the largest quota of any IMF
member. Since 2016, U.S. quota in the IMF has been about SDR 83 billion. The equivalent dollar value of the quota total
U.S. as of September 30, 2023, and 2022, was approximately $108.9 billion and approximately $106.0 billion, respectively.
The government has funded a portion of U.S. quota to the IMF for lending, represented by U.S. reserve position at the IMF,
while the remainder of the U.S. quota is represented by a letter of credit on which the IMF can draw as needed for lending.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 164
The U.S. reserve position was approximately $32.0 billion as of September 30, 2023, and approximately $31.3 billion as of
September 30, 2022, with the remaining undrawn letter of credit representing the balance (see Note 2—Cash and Other
Monetary Assets and Note 20—Commitments). The government’s quota serves as the key determinant for its 16.5 percent
share of voting rights in various IMF decisions. Since certain key IMF decisions require approval by at least 85.0 percent of
the voting power, the government (represented by the Secretary of the Treasury) holds a substantial voice in the IMF and
exercises significant influence over IMF policies, including veto power over major IMF decisions.
Some IMF members also supplement the IMF’s resources through the NAB and bilateral borrowing agreements.
Through the NAB, the U.S. and other participating members make additional resources available to the IMF if required to
cope with or forestall an impairment of the international monetary system. In accordance with the CARES Act, effective
January 1, 2021, U.S. participation in the NAB increased by SDR 28.2 billion. Accordingly, the government's participation in
the NAB as of September 30, 2023, and 2022, was SDR 56.4 billion respectively, which is equivalent to $74.2 billion and
$72.2 billion, respectively. When the government transfers funds to the IMF under the NAB, it receives a liquid and interest-
bearing claim on the IMF. As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, loans outstanding to the IMF from the government under the
NAB stood at $0.1 billion and $0.5 billion, respectively. These loans were reported under Loans Receivable, Net on the
Balance Sheet. The NAB is not currently activated, and the U.S. has veto power over its activation, as well as over most
changes to its terms or size. The government does not have a bilateral borrowing agreement with the IMF, though it exercises
indirect control over their activation, since NAB activation is a prerequisite for the IMF to draw on its bilateral borrowing
arrangements.
As of September 30, 2023, and 2022, the government's total undrawn financial commitment to the IMF was $151.0
billion and $146.4 billion, respectively, which is composed of the quota related letter of credit and the undrawn portion of the
NAB (see Note 20—Commitments).
Under the IMF Articles of Agreement, the IMF may allocate SDRs to member countries in proportion to their IMF
quotas. SDR allocations are an international reserve asset created by the IMF to supplement its member countries’ official
reserves. In FY 2021, the IMF approved a historic allocation of SDRs of $650.0 billion to further support the COVID-19
recovery. This was the largest allocation in the IMF’s history, which substantially boosted the reserves and liquidity of the
IMF’s member countries, without adding to their debt burdens. The U.S. received an additional 79.5 billion SDRs valued at
$112.8 billion as a part of this historic allocation. The SDR allocation creates an asset and a liability on the Balance Sheet but
does not increase the IMF’s available lending resources. The SDR asset as of September 30, 2023, and 2022, amounted to
$163.2 billion and $153.6 billion, respectively, and includes the SDR allocation as well as purchased SDR (see Note 2—Cash
and Other Monetary Assets). The SDR liability as of September 30, 2023, and 2022, amounted to $151.0 billion and $147.0
billion, respectively (see Note 18—Other Liabilities).
The value of the SDR is based on a weighted average of the U.S. dollar, euro, Chinese renminbi, Japanese yen, and
pound sterling. More information on the SDR valuation can be found at https://www.imf.org.
Historically, IMF has never experienced a default by a borrowing country. The government, which is not directly
exposed to borrowers from the IMF, has never experienced a loss of value on its IMF quota or an instance of non-repayment,
and it is not likely that the government will experience future losses as a result of its additional commitments.
Additionally, the government invests in and provides funding to the MDBs to support poverty reduction and promote
sustainable economic growth in developing countries. The MDBs provide financial and technical support by means of
strengthening institutions, providing assistance that addresses the root causes of instability in fragile and conflict-affected
countries, responding to global crisis, and fostering economic growth and entrepreneurship. The government’s participation
in the MDBs is in the form of financial contributions used to ensure the effectiveness and impact of the MDBs’ global
development agenda. The U.S. has voting power in each of the MDBs to which it contributes, ranging from approximately
6.0 percent to 50.0 percent (see Note 10—Other Assets and Note 20—Commitments for additional information).
Private Export Funding Corporation
The financial statements reflect the results of agreements with PEFCO. PEFCO, is owned by a consortium of private-
sector banks, industrial companies, and financial services institutions. It makes and purchases from private sector lenders,
medium-term and long-term fixed-rate, and variable-rate loans guaranteed by EXIM Bank to foreign borrowers to purchase
U.S. made equipment “export loans.”
EXIM Bank’s credit and guarantee agreement with PEFCO provides that EXIM Bank will guarantee the due and
punctual payment of interest on PEFCO’s secured debt obligations which EXIM Bank has approved, and it grants to EXIM
Bank a broad measure of supervision over certain of PEFCO's major financial management decisions, including the right to
have representatives be present in all meetings of PEFCO’s Board of Directors, advisory board, and exporters’ council, and
to review PEFCO’s financials and other records. However, EXIM Bank does not have voting rights and does not influence
normal operations. In September 2020, the EXIM Board of Directors unanimously voted to renew its agreement with PEFCO
for 25 years.
165 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
PEFCO has an agreement with EXIM Bank which provides that EXIM Bank will generally provide PEFCO with an
unconditional guarantee covering the due and punctual payment of principal and interest on export loans PEFCO makes and
purchases. PEFCO’s guarantees on the export loans plus the guarantees on the secured debt obligations aggregating to
$1,891.0 million at September 30, 2023 and $2,228.6 million at September 30, 2022, are included by EXIM Bank in the total
for guarantee, insurance and undisbursed loans and the allowance related to these transactions is included in the Loan
Guarantee Liabilities on the Balance Sheets.
EXIM Bank received fees totaling $22.4 million in FY 2023 and $29.1 million in FY 2022 for the agreements, which
are included in Earned Revenue on the Statements of Net Cost.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 166
As a general approximation, the change in debt held by the public from one year to the next is the budget deficit, the
difference between total receipts and total spending. 1 Total spending is non-interest spending plus interest spending. Chart 3
shows that the rapid rise in total spending and the unified deficit (total receipts less total spending) is almost entirely due to
projected net interest, which results from the growing debt. As a percent of GDP, interest spending was 2.4 percent in 2023,
and under current policy is projected to reach 5.3 percent in 2034, 15.0 percent in 2068, and 24.0 percent in 2098.
1
The change in debt each year is also affected by certain transactions not included in the budget deficit, such as changes in Treasury’s cash balances and the
non-budgetary activity of federal credit financing accounts. These transactions are assumed to hold constant at about 0.3 percent of GDP each year, with the
same effect on debt as if the primary deficit was higher by that amount.
173 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Another way of viewing the change in the financial outlook in this year’s Financial Report relative to previous years’
Financial Reports is in terms of the projected debt-to-GDP ratio in 2096, the last year of the 75-year projection period used in
the FY 2021 Financial Report. This ratio is projected based on this Financial Report’s assumptions to reach 518 percent in
the FY 2023 projections, which compares with 559 percent projected in the FY 2022 projections and 701 percent projected in
the FY 2021 projections. 2
The Cost of Delay in Closing the 75-Year Fiscal Gap
The longer policy action to close the fiscal gap 3 is delayed, the larger the post-reform primary surpluses must be to
achieve the target debt-to-GDP ratio at the end of the 75-year period. This can be illustrated by varying the years in which
reforms closing the fiscal gap are initiated while holding the target ratio of debt to GDP in 2098 equal to the 2023 ratio. Three
timeframes for reforms are considered, each one beginning in a different year, and each one increasing the primary surplus
relative to current policy by a fixed percent of GDP starting in the reform year. The analysis shows that the longer policy
action is delayed, the larger the post-reform primary surplus must be to bring the debt-to-GDP ratio in 2098 equal to its level
in 2023. Future generations are burdened by delays in policy changes because delay necessitates higher primary surpluses
during their lifetimes, and those higher primary surpluses must be achieved through some combination of lower spending and
higher revenue.
As previously shown in Chart 1, under current policy, primary deficits occur throughout the projection period. Table 1
shows primary surplus changes necessary to make the debt-to-GDP ratio in 2098 equal to its level in 2023 under each of the
2
For additional information on changes from the 2021 projections, see the unaudited RSI in the 2022 Financial Report.
3
The fiscal gap reflects how much the primary surplus (receipts less non-interest spending) must increase to maintain the debt-to-GDP ratio at the 2023
level. See Note 24 for a more complete discussion of the fiscal gap.
REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) 174
three timeframes. If reform begins in 2024, then it is sufficient to raise the primary surplus share of GDP by 4.5 percentage
points in every year between 2024 and 2098 in order for the debt-to-GDP ratio in 2098 to equal its level in 2023. This policy
raises the average 2024-2098 primary surplus-to-GDP ratio from -3.8 percent to +0.6 percent.
In contrast to a reform that begins immediately, if reform begins in 2034 or 2044, then the primary surpluses must be
raised by 5.3 percent and 6.5 percent of GDP, respectively, in order for the debt-to-GDP ratio in 2098 to equal its level at the
end of 2023. The difference between the primary surplus increase necessary if reform begins in 2034 or 2044 and the increase
necessary if reform begins in 2024, an additional 0.8 and 2.0 percentage points, respectively, is a measure of the additional
burden policy delay would impose on future generations. The costs of delay are due to the additional debt that accumulates
between the end of 2023 and the year reform is initiated, in comparison to the scenario in which reform begins immediately.
Alternative Scenarios
The long-run projections are highly uncertain. This section illustrates this inherent uncertainty by presenting alternative
scenarios for the growth rate of health care costs, interest rates, discretionary spending, and receipts. (Not considered here are
the effects of alternative assumptions for long-run trends in birth rates, mortality, and immigration, among other factors.)
The population is aging rapidly and will continue to do so over the next several decades, which puts pressure on
programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. A shift in projected fertility, mortality, or immigration rates could
have important effects on the long-run projections. Higher-than-projected immigration, fertility, or mortality rates would
improve the long-term fiscal outlook. Conversely, lower-than-projected immigration, fertility, or mortality rates would result
in deterioration in the long-term fiscal outlook.
Effect of Changes in Health Care Cost Growth
One of the most important assumptions underlying the projections is the future growth of health care costs. These future
growth rates – both for health care costs in the economy generally and for federal health care programs such as Medicare,
Medicaid, and PPACA exchange subsidies – are highly uncertain. In particular, PPACA in 2010 and MACRA in 2015
lowered increases in payment rates for Medicare hospital and physician payments. The Medicare spending projections in the
long-term fiscal projections are based on the projections in the 2023 Medicare Trustees Report, which assume the PPACA
and MACRA payment rates will be effective in producing a substantial slowdown in Medicare input cost growth. As
discussed in Note 25—Social Insurance, the Medicare projections are subject to much uncertainty about the ultimate effects
of these provisions to reduce health care cost growth. For the long-term fiscal projections, that uncertainty also affects the
projections for Medicaid and exchange subsidies, because the cost per beneficiary in these programs grows at the same
reduced rate as Medicare cost growth per beneficiary.
As an illustration of the dramatic effect of variations in health care cost growth rates, Table 2 shows the effect on the
size of reforms necessary to close the fiscal gap under per capita health care cost growth rates that are one percentage point
higher or two percentage points higher than the growth rates in the base projection, as well as the effect of delaying closure of
the fiscal gap. 4 As indicated earlier, if reform is initiated in 2024, eliminating the fiscal gap requires that the 2024-2098
primary surplus increase by an average of 4.5 percent of GDP in the base case. However, that figure increases to 8.0 percent
of GDP if per capita health cost growth is assumed to be 1.0 percentage point higher, and 14.2 percent of GDP if per capita
4
The base case health cost growth rates are derived from the projections in the 2023 Medicare Trustees Report. These projections are summarized and
discussed in Note 25 and the “Medicare Projections” section of the unaudited RSI for the SOSI.
175 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
health cost growth is 2.0 percentage points higher. The cost of delaying reform is also increased if health care cost growth is
higher because debt accumulates more rapidly during the period of inaction. For example, the lower part of Table 2 shows
that delaying reform initiation from 2024 to 2034 requires that 2034-2098 primary surpluses be higher by an average of 0.8
percent of GDP in the base case, 1.4 percent of GDP if per capita health cost growth is 1.0 percentage point higher, and 2.6
percent of GDP if per capita health cost growth is 2.0 percentage points higher. The dramatic deterioration of the long-run
fiscal outlook caused by higher health care cost growth shows the critical importance of managing health care cost growth.
unclear. High debt may undermine growth through increased interest rates and lower business confidence, or low growth may
contribute to high debt by depressing tax revenues and increasing deficit spending on social safety net programs.
Nevertheless, to put the current and projected debt-to-GDP ratios in context, it is instructive to examine how the U.S.
experience compares with that of other countries. The U.S. government’s debt as a percent of GDP is relatively large
compared with central government debt of other countries, but far from the largest among developed countries. Based on
historical data as reported by the IMF for 29 advanced economies, the debt-to-GDP ratio in 2019 ranged from 5.8 percent of
GDP to 194.8 percent of GDP. 8 The U.S. is not included in this set of statistics, which underscores the difficulty in
calculating debt ratios under consistent definitions, but the 2023 debt-to-GDP ratio for the U.S. government was
approximately 97 percent. Despite using consistent definitions where available, these debt measures are not strictly
comparable due to differences in the share of government debt that is debt of the central government, how government
responsibilities are shared between central and local governments, how current policies compare with the past policies that
determine the current level of debt, and how robustly each economy grows.
The historical experience of the U.S. may also provide some perspective. As Chart 4 shows, the debt-to-GDP ratio was
highest in the 1940s, following the debt buildup during World War II. In the projections in this Financial Report, the U.S.
would reach the previous peak debt ratio in 2028. However, the origins of current and future federal debt are quite different
from the wartime debt of the 1940s, which limits the pertinence of past experience.
As the cross-country and historical comparisons suggest, there is a very imperfect relationship between the current level
of central government debt and the sustainability of overall government policy. Past accrual of debt is certainly important, but
current policies and their implications for future debt accumulation and future growth are as well.
8
Government Finance Statistics Yearbook, Main Aggregates and Balances, available at https://data.imf.org. Data are for D1 debt liabilities for the central
government, excluding social security funds, for Advanced Economies. While more current data are available, the recent pandemic has substantially
distorted debt-to-GDP ratios. Pre-pandemic levels likely provide a better basis of comparison.
REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) 180
Conclusion
The projections in this Financial Report indicate that if policy remains unchanged, the debt-to-GDP ratio will steadily
increase throughout the projection period and beyond, which implies current policy under this Financial Report’s
assumptions is not sustainable and must ultimately change. Subject to the important caveat that policy changes are not so
abrupt that they slow economic growth, the sooner policies are put in place to avert these trends, the smaller are the
adjustments necessary to return the nation to a sustainable fiscal path, and the lower the burden of the debt will be to future
generations.
181 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Social Insurance
The social insurance programs consisting of Social Security, Medicare, Railroad Retirement, Black Lung, and UI were
developed to provide income security and health care coverage to citizens under specific circumstances as a responsibility of
the government. Because taxpayers rely on these programs in their long-term planning, social insurance program information
should indicate whether the current statutory provisions of the programs can be sustained, and more generally what effect
these provisions likely have on the government’s financial condition. The resources needed to run these programs are raised
through taxes and fees. Eligibility for benefits depends in part on earnings and time worked by the individuals. Social
Security benefits are generally redistributed intentionally toward lower-wage workers (i.e., benefits are progressive). In
addition, each social insurance program has a uniform set of eligibility events and schedules that apply to all participants.
RSI material is generally drawn from the 2023 Annual Reports of the Boards of Trustees, which represents the official
government evaluation of the financial and actuarial status of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds. Unless
otherwise noted, all data are for calendar years, all projections are based on current law and the Trustees intermediate set of
assumptions. A significant exception is that the projections disregard benefit payment reductions that would result from the
projected depletion of the OASDI and HI Trust Funds. Under current law, benefit payments would be reduced to levels that
could be covered by incoming tax and premium revenues when the trust fund balances have been depleted.
9
Medicare legislation in 2003 created the new Part D account in the Medicare Part B and D Trust Fund to track the finances of a new prescription drug
benefit that began in 2006. As is the case for Medicare Part B, a little less than three-quarters of revenues to the Part D account will come from future
transfers from the General Fund. Consequently, the nature of the relationship between the Medicare Part B and D Trust Fund and the Budget described
below is largely unaffected by the presence of the Part D account though the magnitude will be greater.
REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) 182
M
SMI
E Premiums and SMI Trust
A State Transfers Fund E
N Account X
S Other
General P
Government Surplus Government
Transfers Borrowed
Interest
Expenditures, E
O Credited
N
Net Interest
F Income Taxes, D
Benefit Taxes, Other
Other Revenues, I
F Government
T
Borrowing from Accounts
I the Public U
N Surplus
Borrowed R
Benefit
A Interest
Taxes
E
N Credited HI, OASDI, SMI
S
C Benefits
HI, OASDI
I Payroll Taxes and Trust Fund
N HI Accounts
G Premiums
• Other Government Transfers: Intra-governmental transfers to the Medicare SMI Trust Fund from other government
accounts.
• Surplus Borrowed: Program revenue loaned to the General Fund and treated as if it borrowed the money from the
public.
• Interest Credited: Interest earned when the excess of program revenue over expenses is loaned to the General Fund
becoming a future obligation to the General Fund.
The current and future financial status of the separate Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds is the focus of the
Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports, a focus that may appropriately be referred to as the “trust fund perspective.”
In contrast, the government primarily uses the budget concept, appropriately referred to as the “budget perspective” or the
“government-wide perspective” as the framework for budgetary analysis and presentation. It represents a comprehensive
display of all federal activities, regardless of fund type or on- and off-budget status and has a broader focus than the trust
fund perspective. Social Security and Medicare are among the largest expenditure categories of the Budget. This section
describes the important relationship between the trust fund perspective and the government-wide perspective.
Figure 1 is a simplified depiction of the interaction of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds with the rest of the
Budget. 10 The boxes on the left show sources of funding, those in the middle represent the trust funds and other government
accounts, including the General Fund into which that funding flows, and the boxes on the right show simplified expenditure
categories. The figure is intended to illustrate how the various sources of program revenue flow through the Budget to
beneficiaries. The general approach is to group revenues and expenditures that are linked specifically to Social Security
and/or Medicare separately from those for other government programs.
Each of the trust funds has its own sources and types of revenue. With the exception of General Fund transfers to
Medicare Parts B and D, each of these revenue sources represents revenue from the public that is dedicated specifically for
the respective trust fund and cannot be used for other purposes. In contrast, personal and corporate income taxes as well as
other revenue go into General Fund and are drawn down for any government program for which Congress has approved
spending. 11 The Medicare SMI Trust Fund is shown separately from the Social Security OASDI Trust Funds and the
Medicare HI Trust Fund to highlight the unique financing of Medicare Parts B and D. Currently, Medicare Parts B and D are
10
The Budget encompasses all government financing and is synonymous with a government-wide perspective.
11
Other programs also have dedicated revenues in the form of taxes and fees (and other forms of receipt) and there are a large number of dedicated trust
funds in the Budget.
183 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
the only programs that are funded through transfers from the General Fund. The transfers are automatic and; their size
depends on program expenses, not on how much revenue comes into Treasury. If General Fund revenues become insufficient
to cover both the mandated transfer to Medicare Parts B and D and expenditures on other general government programs,
Treasury needs to borrow to make up the difference. In the longer run, if transfers to Medicare Parts B and D increase beyond
growth in general revenues is as projected, then Congress must either raise taxes, cut other government spending, reduce
Medicare Parts B and D benefits, or borrow even more.
Intra-governmental transfers (surplus) is a form of “borrowing/lending” between the government accounts. How loans
from the trust funds to the General Fund and later repayments of those loans affect tax income and expenditures of the
General Fund is uncertain. Two extreme cases encompass the possibilities. At one extreme, each dollar the trust funds loan to
the General Fund might reduce borrowing from the public by a dollar at the time the loan is extended, in which case the
General Fund could repay all trust fund loans by borrowing from the public without raising the level of public debt above the
level that would have occurred in the absence of the loans. At the other extreme, the trust fund loans result in additional
largess (i.e., higher spending and/or lower taxes) in General Fund programs at the time the loans are extended, but ultimately
that additional largess is financed with additional austerity (i.e., lower spending and/or higher taxes). The actual impact of
trust fund loans to the General Fund and their repayment on General Fund programs is at one of these two extremes or
somewhere in between.
Actual dollar amounts roughly corresponding to the flows presented in Figure 1 are shown in the following table for FY
2023. From the government-wide perspective, only revenues received from the public and state transfers less expenditures
made to the public are important for the final balance. From the trust fund perspective which is captured in the bottom section
of each of the three trust fund columns, revenue also includes amounts transferred from the General Fund and interest earned
from the lending/borrowing activity between the General Fund and the trust funds. Transfers to the SMI Program from the
General Fund are obligated under current law and therefore, appropriately viewed as revenue from the trust fund perspective.
Revenues and Expenditures for Medicare and Social Security Trust Funds and the Total Federal
Budget for the Fiscal Year ended September 30, 2023
Trust Funds
(In billions of dollars) HI SMI OASDI Total All Other Total1
Transfers and interest credits received by the trust funds appear as a negative entry under “all other” and the column is offset when
summed for the total Budget.
Note: "N/A" indicates not applicable.
Medicare Part A: From the government-wide perspective, the difference between expenditures made to the public and
revenues was $7.3 billion. From the trust fund perspective, after revenues from transfers and interest from the General Fund,
revenues exceeded expenditures by $13.8 billion.
REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) 184
Medicare Parts B and D: From the government-wide perspective, the difference between expenditures made to the
public and revenues was $453.3 billion resulting in a net draw on the overall budget balance. From the trust fund perspective,
after revenues from transfers and interest from the General Fund, revenues exceeded expenditures by $9.9 billion.
Social Security: From the government-wide perspective, the difference between expenditures made to the public and
revenues was $88.3 billion. From the trust fund perspective, after revenues from transfers and interest from the General Fund,
expenditures exceeded revenues by $21.6 billion.
Cash Flow Projections
Economic and Demographic Assumptions. The Boards of Trustees of the OASDI and Medicare Trust Funds provide in
their annual reports to Congress short-range (10-year) and long-range (75-year) actuarial estimates of each trust fund.
Because of their inherent uncertainty in estimating 75 years into the future, the boards use three alternative sets of economic
and demographic assumptions to show a range of possibilities. The economic and demographic assumptions used for the
most recent set of intermediate projections for Social Security and Medicare are shown in the demographic and economic
assumption section of Note 25—Social Insurance.
Worker-to-Beneficiary Ratio. For the most part, current workers’ pay for current benefits. The relatively smaller number
of persons born after the baby boom will therefore finance the retirement of the baby boom generation. Chart 1 shows the
estimated number of covered workers per OASDI beneficiary using the Trustees intermediate assumptions. Covered workers
are persons having earnings creditable for OASDI purposes based on wages in covered employment or income from covered
self-employment. The estimated number of workers per beneficiary declines from 2.8 in 2022 to 2.1 in 2097. A similar
demographic pattern confronts the Medicare Program. In 2022 every HI beneficiary had about 2.9 workers to pay for his or
her benefit and continues to decline until there are only 2.2 workers per beneficiary by 2097.
reductions were applied only to newly entitled beneficiaries. Alternatively, some combination of tax increases and benefit
reductions could be adopted.
Income and Expenditures as a Percent of GDP. Chart 3 shows estimated annual non-interest income and expenditures,
expressed as a percent of GDP. Analyzing these cash flows in terms of percentage of the estimated GDP, which represents
the total value of goods and services produced in the U.S., provides a measure of the cost of the OASDI program in relation
to the size of the national economy that must finance it.
In calendar year 2022, OASDI cost was about $1.2 trillion, which was about 4.9 percent of GDP. The cost of the
program (based on current law) rises to a peak of 6.3 percent of GDP in 2076, then declines to 6.0 percent by 2097. The
increase from 2022 to 2040 is projected to occur as baby boomers continue to become eligible for OASDI benefits, lower
birth rates result in fewer workers per beneficiary, and beneficiaries continue to live longer.
Medicare Projections
Medicare Legislation. The projections presented here are based on current law, certain features of which may result in
some challenges for the Medicare program. In 2010 the PPACA was signed into law and contains the most significant
changes to health care coverage since the Social Security Act. The PPACA provided funding for the establishment of a Center
for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test innovative payment and service delivery models to reduce program
expenditures while preserving or enhancing the quality of care furnished to individuals. In addition, the Medicare projections
have been significantly affected by the enactment of the enactment of the IRA of 2022. This legislation has wide-ranging
provisions, including those that restrain price growth and negotiate drug prices for certain Part B and Part D drugs and that
redesign the Part D benefit structure to decrease beneficiary out-of-pocket costs. The law takes several years to implement,
resulting in very different effects by year. The total effect of the IRA of 2022 is to reduce government expenditures for Part
B, to increase expenditures for Part D through 2030, and to decrease Part D expenditures beginning in 2031.
Incorporated in these projections is the sequestration of non-salary Medicare expenditures as required by the following
laws:
• Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25, enacted on August 2, 2011), as amended by the American Taxpayer Relief
Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-240, enacted on January 2, 2013);
• Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (P.L. 113-67, enacted on December 26, 2013);
• Sections 1 and 3 of P.L. 113-82, enacted on February 15, 2014;
• Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-93, enacted on April 1, 2014);
• BBA of 2015 (P.L. 114-74, enacted on November 2, 2015);
• BBA of 2018 (P.L. 115-123, enacted on February 9, 2018);
• BBA of 2019 (P.L. 116-37, enacted on August 2, 2019);
• The CARES Act (P.L. 116-136, enacted on March 27, 2020);
• The CAA, 2021 (P.L. 116-260, enacted on December 27, 2020);
• An Act to Prevent Across-the-Board Direct Spending Cuts, and for Other Purposes (P.L. 117-7, enacted on April 14,
2021);
• IIJA (P.L. 117-58, enacted on November 15, 2021);
• The Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act (P.L. 117-71, enacted on December 10,
2021); and
• The CAA, 2023 (P.L. 117-328, enacted on December 29, 2022).
The sequestration reduces benefit payments by 2.0 percent from April 1, 2013 through April 30, 2020, by 1.0 percent
from April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022, by 2.0 percent from July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2032. Because of
sequestration, non-salary administrative expenses are reduced by an estimated 5.0 to 7.0 percent from March 1, 2013 through
September 30, 2032, excluding May 1, 2020 through March 31, 2022 when it was suspended.
The financial projections for the Medicare program reflect substantial, but very uncertain, cost savings deriving from
current law provisions that lower increases in Medicare payment rates to most categories of health care providers, but such
adjustments would probably not be viable indefinitely without fundamental change in the current delivery system. In view of
the factors described above, it is important to note that Medicare’s actual future costs are highly uncertain for reasons apart
from the inherent challenges in projecting health care cost growth over time. For additional information refer to the
“Medicare – Illustrative Alternative Scenario” section of Note 25—Social Insurance and HHS’s financial statements.
Changes in Projection Methods. The long-range cost growth rates must be modified to reflect demographic impacts. In
the 2021 report, these impacts reflected the changing distribution of Medicare enrollment by age and sex, and the
beneficiary’s proximity to death, which is referred to as a TTD adjustment. The TTD adjustment reflects the fact that the
closer an individual is to death, the higher his or her health care spending is.
Total Medicare. Chart 4 shows expenditures and current-law non-interest revenue sources for HI and SMI combined as
a percent of GDP. Under the PPACA, beginning in 2013 the HI Trust Fund receives an additional 0.9 percent tax on earnings
in excess of $250,000 for joint tax return filers and $200,000 for individual tax return filers. As a result of this provision, it is
projected that payroll taxes will grow slightly faster than GDP. Beginning in 2022, HI revenue from income taxes on Social
Security benefits will gradually increase as a share of GDP as the share of benefits subject to such taxes increase. General
revenues are projected to gradually increase from 43.0 percent of Medicare financing in 2022 to about 49.0 percent in 2040,
stabilizing thereafter. SMI premiums will also grow in proportion to general revenue transfers, placing a growing burden on
beneficiaries. Medicare Part B and D general revenues equal 1.7 percent of GDP in 2022 and will increase to an estimated 3.0
percent in 2097 under current law.
187 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Chart 4—Total Medicare (HI and SMI) Expenditures and Non-interest Income
as a Percent of GDP
2017-2097
Medicare, Part A Income and Expenditures as a Percent of Taxable Payroll. Chart 5 illustrates Medicare Part A income
(excluding interest) and expenditures as a percentage of taxable payroll. The standard HI payroll tax rate is not scheduled to
change in the future under current law and payroll tax income as a percentage of taxable payroll is estimated to remain
constant at 2.9 percent. Income from taxation of Social Security benefits will also increase faster than taxable payroll because
the income thresholds determining taxable benefits are not indexed for price inflation. Since these income thresholds are not
indexed, over time an increasing proportion of workers and their earnings will become subject to the additional HI tax rate.
In 2023 and beyond, as indicated in Chart 5, the cost rate is projected to rise, primarily due to the continued retirements
of those in the baby boom generation and partly due to an acceleration of health services cost growth. This cost rate increase
is moderated by the accumulating effect of the productivity adjustments to provider price updates, which are estimated to
reduce annual HI per capita cost growth by an average of 0.5 percent through 2032 and 1.0 percent thereafter.
Medicare, Part A Income and Expenditures as a Percent of GDP. Chart 6 shows estimated annual Medicare Part A non-
interest income and expenditures, expressed as a percent of GDP. This measure provides an idea of the relative financial
resources that will be necessary to pay for Medicare Part A services. In 2022, the expenditures were $342.7 billion, which
was 1.3 percent of GDP. This percentage is projected to increase steadily until about 2046 and then remain fairly level
throughout the rest of the 75-year period, as the accumulated effects of the price update reductions are realized.
Medicare Part B and Part D Premium as well as State Transfer Income and Expenditures as a Percent of GDP. Chart 7
shows expenditures for the Part B and D Program expressed as a percent of GDP. It is important to examine the projected rise
in expenditures and the implications for beneficiary premiums and General Fund transfers.
In 2022, SMI expenditures were $562.4 billion, or about 2.2 percent of GDP. Under current law, they would grow to
about 3.9 percent of GDP within 25 years and to 4.2 percent by the end of the projection period. To match the faster growth
rates for SMI expenditures, beneficiary premiums, along with general revenue contributions, would increase more rapidly
than GDP over time but at a slower rate compared to the last 10 years. Average per beneficiary costs for Part B and Part D
benefits are projected to increase after 2022 by about 4.2 percent annually. The associated beneficiary premiums—and
General Fund transfers would increase by approximately the same rate. The special state payments to the Part D account are
set by law at a declining portion of the states’ forgone Medicaid expenditures attributable to the Medicare drug benefit.
189 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Present Values of Estimated OASDI Expenditures in Excess of Income Under Various Assumptions,
2023-2097
(Dollar values in trillions; values of assumptions shown in parentheses)
Financing Shortfall Range
Assumption Low Intermediate High
1
The amounts shown represent averages from 2032 to 2097 of the 75-year projection period.
2
The amounts shown represent averages from 2033 to 2097 of the 75-year projection period.
3
Per thousands of persons.
Source: SSA
The decrease and increase discussed below represent how much the low and high alternatives differ from the
intermediate alternative shown in the table above over the 75-year projection period.
• The average annual reduction in death rates: If people die at younger ages Social Security income relative to cost
would decrease by $4.7 trillion; if people live longer the shortfall would increase by $5.7 trillion.
• Total fertility rate: Higher rates of fertility increase the ratio of workers to beneficiaries, all else equal. If there are
more workers compared to beneficiaries Social Security income relative to cost would decrease by $2.3 trillion; if
there are fewer workers compared to beneficiaries the shortfall would increase by $3.4 trillion.
• Real-wage growth: Higher real wage growth results in faster income growth relative to expenditure growth; if real-
wage growth is higher Social Security income relative to cost would decrease by $4.5 trillion; if real-wage growth is
lower the shortfall would increase by $3.0 trillion.
• CPI change: If the ultimate annual increase in the CPI percentage is higher Social Security income relative to cost
would decrease by $0.6 trillion; if the ultimate annual increase in the CPI percentage is lower shortfall would
increase by $0.7 trillion.
• Net immigration: If there is a larger increase in immigration levels then Social Security income relative to cost
would decrease by $1.6 trillion; if there is a smaller increase in immigration levels the shortfall would increase by
$1.6 trillion.
• Real interest rate: If the ultimate real interest rate is higher, then Social Security income relative to cost would
decrease by $3.7 trillion; if the ultimate annual real interest rate is lower, then the shortfall would increase by $4.8
trillion.
191 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Present Values of Estimated Medicare Part A Expenditures in Excess of Income Under Various
Assumptions, 2023-2097
(Dollar values in trillions; values of assumptions shown in parentheses)
Financing Shortfall Range
Assumption Low Intermediate High
1
Average annual growth in health cost is projected to be negative for 2023.
2
Per thousands of persons.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
The decrease and increase discussed below represent how much the low and high alternatives differ from the
intermediate alternative shown in the table above over the 75-year projection period.
• Average annual growth in health care costs: The financial status of the HI Trust Fund is extremely sensitive to the
growth rates for health care service costs. Slower growth rates will produce a lower aggregate cost of providing
covered health care services. If a slower growth rate is attained Medicare Part A income relative to cost would
decrease by $10.2 trillion; if the growth rate is higher the shortfall would increase by $16.4 trillion.
• Total fertility rate: Higher rates of fertility increase the ratio of workers to beneficiaries, all else equal. If there are
more workers compared to beneficiaries Medicare Part A income relative to cost would decrease by $0.8 trillion; if
there are fewer workers compared to beneficiaries, the shortfall would increase by $1.2 trillion.
• Real-wage growth: Faster real-wage growth results in smaller HI cash flow deficits. If real-wage growth is higher
Medicare Part A income relative to cost would decrease by $3.7 trillion; if real wage growth is lower, the shortfall
would increase by $2.6 trillion.
• CPI change: If the ultimate annual increase in the CPI percentage is higher Medicare Part A income relative to cost
would decrease by $1.2 trillion; if the ultimate annual increase in the CPI percentage is lower the shortfall would
increase by $1.6 trillion.
• Net immigration: If there is a larger increase in immigration levels then Medicare Part A income relative to cost
would decrease by $0.6 trillion; if there is a smaller increase in immigration levels the shortfall would increase by
$0.7 trillion.
• Real interest rate: If the ultimate real interest rate is higher, Medicare Part A income relative to cost would decrease
by $0.6 trillion; if the ultimate real interest rate is lower, then the shortfall would increase by $0.8 trillion.
REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) 192
Present Values of Estimated Medicare Parts B and D Future Expenditures Less Premium Income
and State Transfers Under Three Health Care Cost Growth Assumptions, 2023-2097
1
Annual growth rate is the aggregate cost of providing covered health care services to beneficiaries. The low and high scenarios
assume that costs increase 1.0 percent slower or faster, respectively, than the intermediate assumption.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
The table above shows the effects of various assumptions about the growth in health care costs on the PV of estimated
Part B and D expenditures in excess of income in the terms of government-wide resources needed due to the financing
mechanism (General Fund transfers) for Medicare Parts B and D. As with Part A, net Part B and D expenditures are very
sensitive to the health care cost growth assumption. If a slower growth rate is attained government-wide resources needed for
Part B would decrease by $11.8 trillion and Part D by $2.2 trillion; if the growth rate is higher, government-wide resources
needed would increase to $18.5 trillion for Part B and to $3.5 trillion for Part D.
Sustainability of Social Security and Medicare
75-Year Horizon
According to the 2023 Medicare Trustees Report, the HI Trust Fund is projected to remain solvent until 2031 and,
according to the 2023 Social Security Trustees Report, the OASI Trust Fund is projected to have sufficient reserves to pay
full benefits on time until 2033 while the DI Trust Fund is not projected to be depleted within the projection period. In each
case, some trust fund interest income and balances accumulated during prior years are needed to pay benefits. This leads to a
repayment of loans made to the General Fund by the trust funds. The General Fund will pay back the trust funds and then the
monies will be paid out to beneficiaries. Moreover, under current law, General Fund transfers to the SMI Trust Fund will
occur into the indefinite future and will continue to grow with the growth in health care expenditures.
The potential magnitude of future financial obligations under these three social insurance programs is, therefore,
important from a budget perspective as well as for understanding generally the growing resource demands of the programs on
the economy. From the 75-year budget perspective, the PV of the additional resources that would be necessary to meet
projected expenditures, for the three programs combined, is $78.4 trillion. To put this figure in perspective, it would represent
4.4 percent of the PV of projected GDP over the same period ($1,766.0 trillion). These resource needs would be in addition
to the payroll taxes, benefit taxes, and premium payments. Asset redemptions and Medicare Part B and D general revenue
transfers represent formal budget commitments, but no provision exists for covering the Medicare Part A and Social Security
Trust Fund deficits once assets are depleted.
The table below shows the magnitudes of the primary expenditures and sources of financing for the three trust funds
computed on an open-group basis for the next 75 years and expressed in PV terms. The data are consistent with the SOSI
included in the principal financial statements.
From the government-wide perspective, the PV of the total resources needed for the Social Security and Medicare
Programs over and above current-law funding sources (payroll taxes, benefit taxes, and premium payments from the public)
is $78.4 trillion. From the trust fund perspective, which counts the trust funds ($3.2 trillion) and the general revenue transfers
to the SMI Program ($48.5 trillion) as dedicated funding sources, additional resources needed to fund the programs are $26.6
trillion.
193 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Present Values of Costs Less Revenues of 75-Year Open Group Obligations HI, SMI, and OASDI as of
January 1, 2023
SMI
(In trillions of dollars) HI Part B Part D OASDI Total
Revenues from the public:
Taxes 30.9 - - 87.4 118.3
Premiums and state transfers 0.4 15.7 3.0 - 19.1
Total 31.3 15.7 3.0 87.4 137.4
1 Net results are computed as costs less revenues and trust fund balances. Negative values are indicative of surpluses.
Source: 2023 OASDI Trustees Reports and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Infinite Horizon
The 75-year horizon is consistent with the primary focus of the Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports. Experts
have noted that limiting the projections to 75 years understates the magnitude of the long-range unfunded obligations because
summary measures (such as the actuarial balance and open-group unfunded obligations) reflect the full amount of taxes paid
by the next two or three generations of workers, but not the full amount of their benefits. One approach to addressing the
limitation of 75-year summary measures is to extend the projections horizon indefinitely, so that the overall results reflect the
projected costs and revenues after the first 75 years. The open-group infinite horizon net obligation is the PV of all expected
future program outlays less the PV of all expected future program tax and premium revenues. Such a measure is provided in
the following table for the three trust funds represented above.
From the Budget or government-wide perspective, the values in line 1 plus the values in line 4 are summed in the last
line of the table and represent the value of resources needed to finance each of the programs into the infinite future. The total
resources needed for all the programs sums to $175.3 trillion in PV terms. This need can be satisfied only through increased
borrowing, higher taxes, reduced program spending, or some combination.
The second line shows the value of the trust fund at the beginning of 2023. For the HI and OASDI Programs this
represents the extent the programs are funded from the trust fund perspective. From that perspective, when the trust fund is
subtracted, an additional $66.0 trillion is needed to sustain the Social Security program into the infinite future, while the
Medicare Part A program reflects a projected surplus of $15.3 trillion over the infinite horizon. As described above, from the
trust fund perspective, the SMI Program is fully funded; from a government-wide basis, the substantial gap that exists
between premiums, state transfer revenue, and program expenditures in the Part B and D Program ($99.3 trillion and $22.1
trillion, respectively) represents future general revenue obligations of the Budget.
In comparison to the analogous 75-year number in the table above, extending the calculations beyond 2097, captures the
full lifetime benefits, plus taxes and premiums of all current and future participants. The shorter horizon understates the total
financial needs by capturing relatively more of the revenues from current and future workers and not capturing all the
benefits that are scheduled to be paid to them.
REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) 194
Present Values of Costs Less Tax, Premium and State Transfer Revenue Through the Infinite Horizon,
HI, SMI, OASDI as of January 1, 2023
SMI
(In trillions of dollars) HI Part B Part D OASDI Total
Present value of future costs less future taxes,
premiums, and state transfers for current participants 14.6 33.6 5.9 51.3 105.4
Less current trust fund balance 0.2 0.2 - 2.8 3.2
Equals net obligations for past and current participants 14.4 33.4 5.9 48.5 102.2
Plus net obligations for future participants (29.7) 65.9 16.2 17.5 69.9
Equals net obligations through the infinite future for
all participants (15.3) 99.3 22.1 66.0 172.1
Present values of future costs less the present
values of future income over the infinite horizon (15.1) 99.5 22.1 68.8 175.3
Sensitivity Analysis. The projections of the future financial status of the RRP depend on many economic and
demographic assumptions. For additional information on the sensitivity of the long-range projections of the RRP and how the
projections are impacted by changes in certain key assumptions, refer to RRB’s financial statements.
Black Lung Projected Cash Inflows and Outflows, in Constant Dollars, for the Open Group. The significant
assumptions used in the projections show that cash inflows from excise taxes will exceed cash outflows for benefit payments
and administrative expenses only for the first four years in the projection period. For FYs 2028 through 2040, the cash
outflows for benefit payments and administrative expenses are projected to exceed cash inflows from excise taxes.
Sensitivity Analysis. For the projected cash inflows and outflows with sensitivity analysis, in constant dollars for the
open group, the significant assumption for medical cost inflation was increased while other significant assumptions were left
unchanged. For additional information on the sensitivity of the projections of the BLDBP and how the projections are
impacted by changes in assumptions, refer to DOL’s financial statements.
Unemployment Insurance Projected Cash Inflows and Outflows, in Constant Dollars, Under Expected Economic
Conditions. The significant assumptions used in the cash flow projections of the UTF show total cash inflow exceeds total
cash outflow in all years in the projection period.
Sensitivity Analysis. The effect on the accumulated UTF assets of projected total cash inflows and cash outflows of the
UTF, in constant dollars, over the ten-year period ending September 30, 2033, are demonstrated in two sensitivity analyses.
Each sensitivity analysis uses an open group, which includes current and future participants in the UI Program. Sensitivity
Analysis I assumes higher rates of unemployment and Sensitivity Analysis II assumes even higher rates of unemployment. In
Sensitivity Analysis I, there is a net cash inflow in FY 2024, net cash outflows in FYs 2025 and 2026, and then net cash
inflows again in FYs 2027 through 2033. In Sensitivity Analysis II, net cash outflows are projected in FYs 2024 through
2028, but inflows exceed outflows in FYs 2029 through 2033; net cash inflows are reestablished in FY 2029 and peak in FY
2033 with a decrease in unemployment rate in FY 2033. For additional information on the sensitivity of the projections of the
UI Program, refer to DOL’s financial statements.
Sustainability
Sustainability of Railroad Retirement from a trust fund perspective, when the trust fund balance ($24.9 billion) and the
financial interchange and transfers ($104.5 billion) are included, the combined balance of the NRRIT, the Railroad
Retirement Account, and the Social Security Equivalent Benefit Account show a slight surplus ($1.4 billion). For additional
information related to the sustainability of the RRP, refer to RRB’s financial statements.
On September 30, 2023, total liabilities of the BLDTF exceeded assets by nearly $6.4 billion. This net position deficit
represents the accumulated shortfall of excise taxes necessary to meet benefit payments, administrative costs, and interest
expense incurred prior to and subsequent to the debt refinancing pursuant to P.L. 110-343. Prior to the enactment of P.L. 110-
343, this shortfall was funded by repayable advances to the BLDTF, which were repayable with interest. Pursuant to P.L.
110-343, any shortfall will be financed with debt instruments similar in form to zero-coupon bonds, with a maturity date of
one year and bear interest at Treasury’s 1-year rate.
The ability of the UI Program to meet a participant’s future benefit payment needs depends on the availability of
accumulated taxes and earnings within the UTF. The effect of projected benefit payments on the accumulated net assets of
the UTF is measured, under an open group scenario, which includes current and future participants in the UI Program. As of
September 30, 2023, total assets within the UTF exceeded total liabilities by nearly $54.4 billion. At the present time there is
a surplus; any surplus of tax revenues and earnings on these revenues over benefit payment expenses is available to finance
benefit payments in future periods when tax revenues may be insufficient.
For additional information related to the sustainability of the RRP, BLDBP, and UI refer to RRB’s and DOL’s financial
statements.
Unemployment Trust Fund Solvency
Each state’s accumulated UTF net assets or reserve balance should provide a defined level of benefit payments over a
defined period. To be minimally solvent, a state’s reserve balance should provide for one year’s projected benefit payment
needs based on the highest levels of benefit payments experienced by the state over the last 20 years. A ratio of 1.00 or
greater indicates that the state UTF account balance is minimally solvent. States below this level are vulnerable to exhausting
their funds in a recession. States exhausting their reserve balance must borrow funds from either FUA or the private markets
to make benefit payments. FUA and Extended Unemployment Compensation Account outstanding advances were $23.0
billion and $8.5 billion, respectively, as of September 30, 2023.
The results of DOL’s state by state analysis indicate 36 state UTF accounts and the accounts of the D.C., Puerto Rico,
and the Virgin Islands were below the minimal solvency ratio of 1.00 at September 30, 2023.
197 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Asset category:
General property, plant, and equipment 250.3 186.8
Heritage assets 32.0 28.1
Stewardship land 1.0 0.8
Total deferred maintenance and repairs 283.3 215.7
Tax Assessments
The government is authorized and required to make inquiries, determinations, and assessments of all taxes that have not
been duly paid. Unpaid assessments result from taxpayers filing returns without sufficient payment, as well as enforcement
programs such as examination, under-reporter, substitute for return, and combined annual wage reporting. Under federal
accounting standards, unpaid assessments are categorized as taxes receivable if taxpayers agree or a court has determined the
assessments are owed. If neither of these conditions are met, the unpaid assessments are categorized as compliance
assessments. Assessments with little or no future collection potential are called write-offs. Although compliance assessments
and write-offs are not considered receivables under federal accounting standards, they represent legally enforceable claims of
the government. There is, however, a significant difference in the collection potential between compliance assessments and
receivables.
Compliance assessments and pre-assessment work in process are $97.7 billion and $90.9 billion for FYs 2023 and 2022,
respectively. The amount of allowance for uncollectible amounts pertaining to compliance assessments cannot be reasonably
estimated, and thus the net realizable value of the pre-assessment work-in-process cannot be determined. The amount of
assessments that entities have statutory authority to collect at the end of the period but that have been written off and
excluded from accounts receivable are $76.6 billion and $77.3 billion for FYs 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Federal Oil and Gas Resources as of September 30, 2023, and 2022
Oil and lease condensate 33.3 34.7 29.4 29.1 62.7 63.8
Natural gas, wet after lease separation 1.8 2.0 14.2 22.4 16.0 24.4
Total 35.1 36.7 43.6 51.5 78.7 88.2
The above table presents the estimated PV of future federal royalty receipts on estimated proved reserves 12 as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022. The federal government’s estimated petroleum royalties have as their basis the DOE’s EIA
estimates of proved reserves. The EIA provides such estimates directly for federal offshore areas and they are adjusted to
extract the federal subset of onshore proved reserves. The federal proved reserves were then further adjusted to correspond
with the effective date of the actual production for calendar year 2021, the most recently published EIA proved reserves
report and then are projected, separately for oil and natural gas, over time to simulate a schedule of when the reserves would
be produced. Future royalties are then calculated from these production streams by applying future price estimates by the
OMB, production growth estimates from the EIA’s 2023 Annual Energy Outlook, and effective royalty rates. The valuation
method used for gas captures royalties from three products–dry gas, wet gas, and natural gas liquids–which collectively are
reported as natural gas, wet after lease separation. The PV of these royalties are then determined by discounting the revenue
12
Per the EIA, lease condensate is a mixture consisting primarily of pentanes and heavier hydrocarbons which is recovered as a liquid from natural gas in
lease separation facilities. This category excludes natural gas plant liquids, such as butane and propane, which are recovered at downstream natural gas
processing plants or facilities. Also, per the EIA, natural gas, wet after lease separation, is the volume of natural gas remaining after removal of lease
condensate in lease and/or field separation facilities, if any, and after exclusion of nonhydrocarbon gases where they occur in sufficient quantity to render the
gas unmarketable. Natural gas liquids may be recovered from volume of natural gas, wet after lease separation, and at natural gas processing plants
(https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/TblDefs/ng_prod_deep_tbldef2.asp).
199 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
stream back to the effective date at a public discount rate assumed to be equal to the OMB’s estimates of future 30-year
Treasury bill rates for offshore, and a weighted average of the U.S. Treasury yield curve from trading dates for the most
recently completed fiscal year for onshore. The 30-year rate was chosen because this maturity life most closely approximates
the productive lives of the proved reserves estimates.
Bbl = barrels
Mcf = 1,000 cubic feet
The table above provides the estimated quantity, a weighted average purchase price, and a weighted average royalty rate
by category of estimated federal petroleum royalties at the end of FYs 2023 and 2022. 13 The estimated quantities, average
purchase prices and royalty rates vary by region; the above table reflects an overall weighted average purchase price and
royalty rate, and is not presented on a regional basis, but is instead calculated based on regional averages. The prices and
royalty rates are based upon historical (or estimated) averages, excluding prior-period adjustments, if any, and are affected by
such factors as accounting adjustments and transportation allowances, resulting in effective average prices and royalty rates.
Prices are valued at the lease rather than at the market center and differ from those used to compute the asset estimated PV,
which are forecasted and discounted based upon OMB economic assumptions. For additional details on federal oil and gas
resources, refer to the financial statements of DOI. In addition to the oil and gas resources discussed above, the federal
government also owns oil and gas resources that are not currently under lease.
13
Gulf of Mexico proved reserves are royalty-bearing volumes. In the Gulf of Mexico, an additional 503.5 million Bbl for FY 2023 and 522.5 million Bbl
for FY 2022 of proved oil reserves, and 426.2 million Mcf for FY 2023 and 412 million Mcf for FY 2022 of proved gas reserves are not reflected in these
totals as they are estimated to be producible royalty-free under various royalty relief provisions. The NPV of the royalty value of the royalty-free proved
reserves volumes in the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to be $3.8 billion for FY 2023 and $4.6 billion for FY 2022.
REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) 200
Federal Natural Resources Other than Oil and Gas as of September 30, 2023, and 2022
The ONRR within DOI is responsible for the management and collection of revenues associated with federal coal leases
which are managed by the BLM within DOI. The ONRR achieves optimal value by ensuring that all natural resource
revenues are efficiently and accurately collected as well as disbursed to recipients in a timely manner by performing audit and
revenue compliance activities.
The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, and the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands of 1947, as amended,
gives DOI the responsibility for coal leasing on approximately 700 million acres of federal mineral estate which includes 570
million of acres where coal development is allowed. The surface estate of these lands may be under the control of BLM, the
U.S. Forest Service (within USDA), private or state landowners, or other federal entities.
Public lands are available for coal leasing after the lands have been evaluated through a multiple-use planning process.
DOI receives coal leasing revenues from a bonus paid at the time of the lease, an annual rent payment of $3.0 per acre, and
royalties paid on the value of the coal after it has been mined. The royalty rate for surface-mining methods is 12.5 percent
and is 8.0 percent for underground mining, and the BLM can approve reduced royalty rates based on maximum economic
recovery. Regulations that govern BLM’s coal leasing program are contained in Title 43, Groups 3000 and 3400 of the CFR.
The above table presents the estimated PV of future federal coal royalty receipts on estimated recoverable reserves as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022. The federal government’s estimated coal royalties have as their basis the DOI’s BLM
estimates of recoverable reserves. The federal recoverable reserves are then further adjusted to correspond with the effective
date of the analysis and then are projected over time to simulate a schedule of when the reserves would be produced. Future
royalties are then calculated by applying future price estimates and effective royalty rates, adjusted for transportation
allowances and other allowable deductions. The PV of these royalties are then determined by discounting the revenue stream
back to the effective date at a public discount rate assumed to be equal to the OMB’s estimates of future 30-year Treasury bill
rates. The 30-year rate was chosen because this maturity life most closely approximates the productive lives of the
recoverable reserves estimates.
In addition to the coal resources discussed above, the federal government has other natural resources under lease
contract whereby the lessee is required to pay royalties on the sale of the natural resource. These natural resources include
soda ash, potash (including muriates of potash and langbeinite phosphate), lead concentrate, copper concentrate, and zinc
concentrate. Soda ash and potash have the largest estimated PV of future royalties. The federal government also owns coal
resources and certain other natural resources that are not currently under lease. For additional details on federal natural
resources-other than oil and gas, refer to the financial statements of DOI.
201 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Property, Property,
Plant, & Plant, &
Equipment Stewardship Total Land1 Equipment Stewardship Total Land1
(In thousands of acres) 2023 2022
1
Estimated acreage includes land and permanent land rights. Acreage of temporary land rights (those for a specified period of time or a
limited duration) are not included pursuant to SFFAS No. 59, paragraphs 4 and 5.
2
Department of Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 670,980 thousand acres of submerged lands in marine national
monuments primarily for the benefit of fish and wildlife.
SFFAS No. 59, Accounting and Reporting of Government Land requires that the estimated acres of land and permanent
land rights of general PP&E land and stewardship land be presented as unaudited RSI for FYs 2022 through 2025. The
estimated acreage will transition to note disclosures in FY 2026.
As defined in SFFAS No. 59, general PP&E land is land used within the ordinary course of business to support the
mission of the federal government and includes land acquired for or in connection with other general PP&E. General PP&E
land excludes withdrawn public lands or land restricted for conservation, preservation, historical, or other like restrictions.
Such land is categorized as stewardship land. Stewardship land includes both public domain and acquired land and land
rights owned by the federal government intended to be held indefinitely and the majority was acquired by the government
during the first century of the nation’s existence. Land rights are interests and privileges held by the entity in land owned by
others, such as leaseholds, easements, water and waterpower rights, diversion rights, submersion rights, rights-of-way,
mineral rights, and other like interests in land. General PP&E land rights and stewardship land rights that are for an
unspecified period of time or unlimited duration are considered permanent land rights and are included in the estimated
acreage table above. Land rights that are only for a specified period of time or a limited duration are considered temporary
land rights. All temporary land rights will continue to be recorded under general PP&E and depreciated over their time period
after SFFAS No. 59 implementation.
All land and permanent land rights are reported in estimated acres using three predominant use categories including
commercial use, conservation and preservation, and operational. The reporting of estimated acres of land held for disposal or
exchange is also required. Commercial use land includes land or land rights that are predominantly used to generate inflows
of resources from non-federal third parties, usually through special use permits, right-of-way grants, and leases. Examples of
commercial use land are concession arrangements, grants for specific projects, and sales or land exchanges. Conservation and
preservation land includes land or land rights that are predominantly used for the conservation of natural resources and
preservation of buildings, objects, and landscapes. Examples of conservation and preservation land are national parks,
geological resource sites, and wildlife and plant life refuges. Within the conservation and preservation reported acres, DOI’s
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 670,980 thousand acres of submerged lands in marine national monuments primarily
for the benefit of fish and wildlife. Operational land includes land or land rights predominantly used for general or
administrative purposes. Examples of operational land include land used for military, scientific, and nuclear functions.
Additional information concerning the estimated acres of land and permanent land rights can be obtained from the
financial statements of DOD, DOI, and USDA. Please refer to Note 6—General Property, Plant, and Equipment, Net and
REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) 202
Note 26—Stewardship Property, Plant, and Equipment for additional information concerning general PP&E land and
stewardship land.
203 REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Average Average
Total Adjusted Income Income
Number of Adjusted Income Gross Income Tax per Tax as a
Taxable Gross Income Tax per Return Return Percentage
Returns (In millions (In millions (In whole (In whole of Adjusted
Adjusted Gross Income (In thousands) of dollars) of dollars) dollars) dollars) Gross Income
Percentage of
Income Subject Total Income Tax Income Tax After
Total Assets to Tax After Credits Credits to
(In thousands of dollars) (In millions of dollars) (In millions of dollars) Taxable Income
Tax Gap
The gross tax gap is the difference between the amount of tax imposed by law and what taxpayers actually pay on time
and/or timely. The tax gap provides an estimate of the level of overall noncompliance compliance during the relevant tax
periods. Tax gap estimates provide periodic appraisals about the nature and extent of noncompliance for use in formulating
tax administration strategies. Given the complexity of the tax system and available data, a single approach cannot be used for
estimating all the components of the tax gap. The most recent estimates covering the tax year 2014-2016 timeframe were
released in FY 2023. In October 2023, the tax gap projections were issued for tax year 2020 and 2021. The tax gap
projections for tax years 2020 and 2021 assume compliance behavior that has not changed since the 2014-2016 tax gap
estimates.
The gross tax gap is the amount of a tax liability that is not paid voluntarily and on time. The projected gross tax gap
increased to $688.0 billion in tax year 2021. The gross tax gap is comprised of three components: non-filing, underreporting,
and underpayment. The projected gross tax gap for each of these components is $77.0 billion, $542.0 billion, and $68.0
billion, respectively. The gross tax gap projections are also segmented by type of tax: individual income tax, corporation
income tax, employment tax, and estate and excise tax. The projected gross tax gap for each of these types of tax is $520.0
billion, $45.0 billion, $118.0 billion, and $4.0 billion, respectively.
The net tax gap is the gross tax gap less tax that subsequently will be paid either late through voluntary payments or
collected through IRS administrative and enforcement activities and is the portion of the gross tax gap that will not be paid. It
is projected that $63.0 billion of the gross tax gap will eventually be paid resulting in a net tax gap of $625.0 billion. The net
tax gap projections are also segmented by type of tax: individual income tax, corporation income tax, employment tax, and
estate and excise tax. The projected net tax gap for each of these types of tax is $475.0 billion, $37.0 billion, $112.0 billion,
and $1.0 billion, respectively. 1 For additional information on the tax gap, refer to Treasury’s financial statements.
Tax Expenditures
As discussed in greater detail in Note 19—Collections and Refunds of Federal Revenue, tax and other revenues reported
reflect the effects of tax expenditures, which are special exclusions, exemptions, deductions, tax credits, preferential tax rates,
and tax deferrals that allow individuals and businesses to reduce taxes they may otherwise owe.
1
Individual amounts may not add to totals due to rounding.
OTHER INFORMATION (UNAUDITED) 206
Tax expenditures are estimated using data from previous years and the economic forecast from the FY 2023 Midsession
Review as reported in the FY 2024 Budget. The largest tax expenditures in FY 2023 are the following (and see the table
below):
• The exclusion from workers’ taxable income of employers’ contributions for health care, health insurance
premiums, and premiums for long-term care insurance;
• The exclusion of contributions to and the earnings of employer defined benefit and defined contribution pension
funds (minus pension benefits that are included in taxable income);
• Imputed rental income forms part of the total value of goods and services produced in a country. But unlike returns
from other investments, the return on homeownership “imputed rent” is excluded from taxable income. In contrast,
landlords must count as income the rent they receive, and renters may not deduct the rent they pay. A homeowner is
effectively both landlord and renter, but the tax code treats homeowners the same as renters while ignoring their
simultaneous role as their own landlords and exempting potential rent they would have paid themselves;
• Preferential tax rates on long-term capital gains; and
• In taxable years 2022 through 2025, a taxpayer may claim a $2,000 per child partially refundable child tax credit. In
2023, up to $1,600 per child of unclaimed credit due to insufficient tax liability may be refundable; a taxpayer may
claim a refund for 15 percent of earnings in excess of a $2,500 floor, up to the lesser of the amount of unused credit
or $1,600 per child. A taxpayer may also claim a nonrefundable credit of $500 for each qualifying child not eligible
for the $2,000 credit.
Exclusion of employer contributions for medical insurance premiums & health care 237.4
Defined benefit & defined contribution pension funds 185.1
Exclusion of net imputed rental income 133.7
Preferential tax rates on long-term capital gains 118.3
Child tax credit 67.5
Generally, identifying and measuring a tax expenditure requires defining a baseline tax system against which identified
tax provisions are exceptions. The tax expenditures prepared for the Budget are estimated relative to a simplified
comprehensive income tax, which defines income as the sum of consumption and the change in net wealth in a given period
of time. Tax expenditure estimates do not necessarily equal the increase in federal revenues (or the change in the Budget
balance) that would result from repealing these special provisions, for the following reasons:
• Eliminating a tax expenditure may have incentive effects that alter economic behavior, which can affect the resulting
magnitudes of the activity or of other tax provisions or government programs. For example, if capital gains were
taxed at ordinary rates, capital gain realizations would be expected to decline, resulting in lower tax receipts. Such
behavioral effects are not reflected in the estimates.
• Tax expenditures are interdependent even without incentive effects. Repeal of a tax expenditure provision can
increase or decrease the tax revenue effect of other provisions. For example, even if behavior does not change,
repeal of an itemized deduction could increase revenue costs from other deductions as some taxpayers move into
higher tax brackets. Alternatively, an itemized deduction repeal could lower the revenue foregone from other
deductions if taxpayers choose to claim the standard deduction over itemizing. Similarly, if two provisions were
repealed simultaneously, the tax liability increase could be greater or less than the sum of the two separate tax
expenditures, because each is estimated assuming that the other remains in force.
• Repeal effects may depend on concurrent tax rate changes. Lowering or raising tax rates can decrease or increase the
estimated revenues from a particular provision. A $10,000 charitable contributions deduction is worth $3,500 in
corporate tax revenues at a 35.0 percent tax rate, but only $2,100 at a 21.0 percent tax rate.
A more comprehensive ranking, including rankings over a 10-year period, and descriptions of tax expenditures can be
found at the following location from Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/tax-policy/tax-
expenditures.
207 OTHER INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
The unmatched transactions and balances are needed to balance the accrual-based financial statements. The Statement
of Net Cost, the Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Position and the Balance Sheet include a line for the unmatched
transactions and balances. Transactions and balances between federal entities must be eliminated in consolidation to calculate
the financial position of the government. The amounts included in the table represent intra-governmental activity and
balances that differed between federal entity trading partners and often totaled significantly more in the absolute than the net
amounts shown. The table also reflects other consolidating adjustments and other adjustments that contributed to the
unmatched transactions and balances amount. The adjustments were added to, or subtracted from, gross cost in the Statement
of Net Cost and other liabilities in the Balance Sheet in the year they were recorded. Unresolved intra-governmental
differences (i.e., unmatched transactions and balances) result in errors in the consolidated financial statements.
Unmatched transactions and balances between federal entities impact not only in the period in which differences
originate but also in the periods where differences are resolved. As a result, it would not be proper to conclude that increases
or decreases in the unmatched amounts shown in the “Unmatched Transactions and Balances” table reflect improvements or
deteriorations in the government’s ability to resolve intra-governmental transactions. The federal community considers the
identification and accurate reporting of intra-governmental activity a priority.
Due to the change in presentation of the reported unmatched transactions and balances on the Statement of Net Cost,
Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Position, and Unmatched Transactions and Balances in Other Information
(unaudited), the FY 2022 Statement of Net Cost was adjusted by $0.1 billion to report the associated unmatched transactions
and balances that were previously reported on the Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Position unmatched
transactions and balances line and the buy/sell costs that were previously included in the gross cost recorded on the Statement
of Net Cost. They are now reported on the standalone unmatched transaction and balances line on the Statement of Net Cost.
Additionally, the Unmatched Transactions and Balances table was updated to show the details of the unmatched transactions
and balances by statement.
The unmatched transactions and balances, net reflects the combined impact that each statement line has on the overall
net position of the Financial Report.
APPENDIX A 208
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission National Transportation Safety Board
Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
Federal Trade Commission Northern Border Regional Commission
Government Accountability Office Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board
Government Publishing Office Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Office of Congressional Workplace Rights
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation Office of Government Ethics
House of Representatives Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation
Institute of Museum and Library Services Office of Nuclear Waste Negotiator*
Intelligence Community Management Account Office of Special Counsel
Inter-American Foundation Open World Leadership Center
International Trade Commission Patient Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation Peace Corps
Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Presidio Trust
John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Training and Development Public Buildings Reform Board
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Public Defender Service for the DC
Judiciary Selective Service System
Library of Congress Senate Commission on Art
Marine Mammal Commission Southeast Crescent Regional Commission
Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Southwest Border Regional Commission
Payment and Access Commission St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission State Justice Institute
Merit Systems Protection Board Surface Transportation Board
Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Thrift Savings Fund
Commission* U.S. Agency for Global Media
Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall U.S. Capitol Police
Foundation U.S. Capitol Preservation Commission
National Archives and Records Administration U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission
National Capital Planning Commission U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
National Commission on Military Aviation Safety U.S. Institute of Peace
National Commission on Military, National and Public U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Service U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission
National Council on Disability U.S. Senate
National Endowment for the Arts U.S. Tax Court
National Endowment for the Humanities U.S. Trade and Development Agency
National Gallery of Art Vietnam Education Foundation
National Labor Relations Board Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission
National Mediation Board Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission
National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Office of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Inspector General WWI Centennial Commission
National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence
*These entities are no longer active and have either returned all remaining fund balances to Treasury during FY 2023 or have
remaining fund balances pending final return to Treasury as of September 30, 2023.
211 APPENDIX A
FV Fair Value
FY Fiscal Year
GAAP U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
GAO U.S. Government Accountability Office
GDP Gross Domestic Product
General Fund General Fund of the U.S. Government
GHG Greenhouse Gases
Ginnie Mae Government National Mortgage Association
GSA General Services Administration
GSE Government-Sponsored Enterprise
HHS Department of Health and Human Services
HI Hospital Insurance
HQM High Quality Market
HUD Department of Housing and Urban Development
IIJA Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
IIM Individual Indian Monies
IMF International Monetary Fund
IRA Inflation Reduction Act
IRC Internal Revenue Code
IRS Internal Revenue Service
JPMorgan JP Morgan Chase Bank
LLC Limited Liability Company
LP Limited Partnership
LPR Lawful Permanent Resident
MAC Moving Average Cost
MACRA Medicare Access and Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015
MBS Mortgage-Backed Securities
Mcf One Thousand Cubic Feet
MD&A Management Discussion & Analysis
MDB Multilateral Development Banks
MERHCF Medicare Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund
MHPI Military Housing Privatization Initiative
MLF Municipal Liquidity Facility LLC
MRF Military Retirement Fund
MSF Main Street Facilities LLC
MTF Military Treatment Facilities
MTS Monthly Treasury Statement
NAB New Arrangements to Borrow
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NAV Net Asset Value
NCUA National Credit Union Administration
NCUSIF The National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund
NDAA National Defense Authorization Act
NFIP National Flood Insurance Program
NHE National Health Expenditure
NPSBN Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network
NPV Net Present Value
215 APPENDIX B
The President
The President of the Senate
The Speaker of the House of Representatives
In our audits of the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the fiscal years
ended September 30, 2023, and 2022, we found the following:
• Certain material weaknesses 1 in internal control over financial reporting and other limitations on the
scope of our work resulted in conditions that continued to prevent us from expressing an opinion on
the accompanying accrual-based consolidated financial statements as of and for the fiscal years
ended September 30, 2023, and 2022. 2
• Significant uncertainties (discussed in Note 25, Social Insurance, to the consolidated financial
statements), primarily related to the achievement of projected reductions in Medicare cost growth,
prevented us from expressing an opinion on the accompanying sustainability financial statements, 3
which consist of the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections; 4 the 2023, 2022,
2021, 2020, and 2019 Statements of Social Insurance; 5 and the 2023 and 2022 Statements of
1A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there
is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the entity’s financial statements will not be prevented, or detected
and corrected, on a timely basis. A deficiency in internal control exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow
management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent, or detect and correct,
misstatements on a timely basis.
2The accrual-based consolidated financial statements comprise the (1) Statements of Net Cost, Statements of Operations and
Changes in Net Position, Reconciliations of Net Operating Cost and Budget Deficit, and Statements of Changes in Cash
Balance from Budget and Other Activities, for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and 2022; (2) Balance Sheets as of
September 30, 2023, and 2022; and (3) related notes to these financial statements. Most revenues are recorded on a modified
cash basis. We previously reported that certain material weaknesses and, for some years, other limitations on the scope of our
work prevented us from expressing an opinion on the accrual-based consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government
for fiscal years 1997 through 2022.
3We have previously reported that significant uncertainties prevented us from expressing an opinion on the sustainability
financial statements (Statements of Social Insurance for fiscal years 2010 through 2022 and Statements of Long-Term Fiscal
Projections for fiscal years 2015 through 2022). The Statements of Social Insurance were first presented for fiscal year 2006,
and the Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections were first presented for fiscal year 2015.
4The 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections present, for all the activities of the federal government, the present
value of projected receipts and noninterest spending under current policy without change, the relationship of these amounts to
projected gross domestic product (GDP), and changes in the present value of projected receipts and noninterest spending from the
prior year. These statements also present the fiscal gap, which shows the combination of receipt increases and noninterest spending
reductions necessary to hold debt held by the public as a share of GDP at the end of the 75-year projection period to its value at the
beginning of the period. The valuation date for the Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections is September 30.
5The Statements of Social Insurance present the present value of revenue and expenditures for social benefit programs,
primarily Social Security and Medicare. These statements are presented for the current year and each of the 4 preceding
years as required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. For the Statements of Social Insurance, the valuation date
is January 1 for the Social Security and Medicare programs, October 1 for the Railroad Retirement program, and September
30 for the Black Lung program.
219 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
Changes in Social Insurance Amounts. A material weakness in internal control also prevented us
from expressing an opinion on the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections.
• Material weaknesses resulted in ineffective internal control over financial reporting for fiscal year
2023.
• Material weaknesses and other scope limitations, discussed above, limited tests of compliance with
selected provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements for fiscal year
2023.
• Our report on the accompanying consolidated financial statements, which includes (1) two
emphasis of matters—long-term fiscal challenges and equity investments in the Federal National
Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie
Mac); (2) an other matter regarding Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (CFO Act) agency financial
management systems; and (3) a section on required supplementary information (RSI) included with
the consolidated financial statements. 6
• Our report on compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements.
• The Department of the Treasury’s and the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) comments
on a draft of this audit report.
Disclaimers of Opinion
The Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the Director of OMB, is required to annually submit
audited financial statements for the U.S. government to the President and Congress. GAO is required
to audit these statements. The consolidated financial statements consist of the
• accrual-based consolidated financial statements, comprising the (1) Statements of Net Cost,
Statements of Operations and Changes in Net Position, Reconciliations of Net Operating Cost and
Budget Deficit, and Statements of Changes in Cash Balance from Budget and Other Activities, for
the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and 2022; (2) Balance Sheets as of September 30,
2023, and 2022; and (3) related notes to these financial statements, and
• sustainability financial statements, comprising the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal
Projections; the 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 Statements of Social Insurance; the 2023 and
2022 Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts; and related notes to the financial
statements.
6The RSI consists of Management’s Discussion and Analysis and information in the Required Supplementary Information
section of the Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Report of the United States Government, which are included with the consolidated
financial statements.
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 220
Because of the significance of the related matters described in the Basis for Disclaimers of Opinion
section below, we were not able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for
an audit opinion on the accompanying accrual-based consolidated financial statements.
Accordingly, we do not express an opinion on the accrual-based consolidated financial statements.
Because of the significance of the related matters described in the Basis for Disclaimers of Opinion
section below, we were not able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for
an audit opinion on the accompanying sustainability financial statements. Accordingly, we do not
express an opinion on the sustainability financial statements.
We considered the limitations on the scope of our work regarding the accrual-based consolidated
financial statements and the sustainability financial statements in forming our conclusions. We
performed sufficient audit work to provide this report on the consolidated financial statements. We
performed our work in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards.
The federal government is not able to demonstrate the reliability of significant portions of the
accompanying accrual-based consolidated financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended
September 30, 2023, and 2022, principally because of limitations related to certain material
weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and other limitations affecting the reliability of
these financial statements and the scope of our work. 7 As a result of these limitations, readers are
cautioned that amounts reported in the accrual-based consolidated financial statements and related
notes may not be reliable.
The federal government did not maintain adequate systems or have sufficient appropriate evidence to
support certain material information reported in the accompanying accrual-based consolidated financial
statements. The underlying material weaknesses in internal control, which generally have existed for
years, contributed to our disclaimer of opinion on the accrual-based consolidated financial statements.
Specifically, these weaknesses concerned the federal government’s inability to
• satisfactorily determine that property, plant, and equipment and inventories and related property,
primarily held by the Department of Defense (DOD), were properly reported in the accrual-based
consolidated financial statements;
7Such limitations include the following: (1) The Department of Defense received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal years 2023
and 2022 financial statements. (2) The Small Business Administration received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal years 2023
and 2022 balance sheets, and its remaining statements were unaudited. (3) The Department of Education received a
disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal year 2023 balance sheet, and its remaining statements were unaudited. The department
received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal year 2022 financial statements. (4) The Department of Labor received a qualified
opinion on its fiscal years 2023 and 2022 financial statements. (5) The Department of Agriculture received a qualified opinion
on its fiscal year 2023 financial statements but received an unmodified opinion on its fiscal year 2022 financial statements. (6)
The Security Assistance Accounts received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal years 2023 and 2022 financial statements. (7)
The fiscal year 2023 Schedules of the General Fund were not audited to allow Treasury time to continue to implement a
remediation plan to address the issues we reported as part of our disclaimer of opinion on the fiscal year 2022 Schedules of
the General Fund. (8) The Railroad Retirement Board received a disclaimer of opinion on its fiscal years 2023 and 2022
financial statements.
221 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
• reasonably estimate the value of loans receivable and loan guarantees, most notably at the Small
Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Education;
• reasonably estimate or adequately support amounts reported for certain liabilities, such as
environmental and disposal liabilities, or determine whether commitments and contingencies were
complete and properly reported;
• support significant portions of the reported total net cost of operations, most notably related to DOD,
SBA, and Education, and adequately reconcile disbursement activity at certain federal entities;
• adequately account for intragovernmental activity and balances between federal entities;
• reasonably assure that the consolidated financial statements are (1) consistent with the underlying
audited entities’ financial statements, (2) properly balanced, and (3) in accordance with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles; and
• reasonably assure that the information in the (1) Reconciliations of Net Operating Cost and Budget
Deficit and (2) Statements of Changes in Cash Balance from Budget and Other Activities is
complete, properly supported, and consistent with the underlying information in the audited entities’
financial statements and other financial data.
These material weaknesses continued to (1) hamper the federal government’s ability to reliably report a
significant portion of its assets, liabilities, costs, and other related information; (2) affect the federal
government’s ability to reliably measure the full cost, as well as the financial and nonfinancial
performance, of certain programs and activities; (3) impair the federal government’s ability to
adequately safeguard significant assets and properly record various transactions; and (4) hinder the
federal government from having reliable, useful, and timely financial information to operate effectively
and efficiently. Because of these material weaknesses and other limitations on the scope of our work
discussed below, additional issues may exist that were not identified and could affect the accrual-based
consolidated financial statements. Appendix II describes these material weaknesses in more detail and
highlights the primary effects of these material weaknesses on the accompanying accrual-based
consolidated financial statements, the sustainability financial statements, and the management of
federal government operations.
In addition, the federal government did not adequately account for and report on the Special Financial
Assistance (SFA) program established by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. 8 The SFA program
provides payments to eligible multiemployer pension plans to enable them to pay benefits at plan levels
through 2051. Plans are not required to repay amounts received from the SFA program, which is
funded by appropriations from the General Fund of the U.S. Government. 9
8Pub. L. No. 117-2, title IX, subtitle H, § 9704, 135 Stat. 4, 190-99 (Mar. 11, 2021), classified at 29 U.S.C. §§ 1305(i), 1432.
9The General Fund is a component of Treasury’s central accounting function. It is a stand-alone reporting entity that comprises
the activities fundamental to funding the federal government (e.g., issued budget authority, cash activity, and debt financing
activities).
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 222
As of September 30, 2022, the estimated mean of total SFA program payments projected to be made
to eligible multiemployer pension plans was $79.7 billion. 10 Fiscal year 2021 liabilities and net costs
were reduced by $60 billion, representing the previously recorded multiemployer plan liability related to
those plans expected to be eligible to receive SFA program payments. However, while the cost and
liability reduction assumed that the SFA program payments would be made, the federal government did
not recognize the liabilities and costs related to the estimated SFA program payments to those plans in
the fiscal year 2021 consolidated financial statements. Rather, in fiscal years 2023 and 2022, the
federal government recorded SFA costs of $45.6 billion and $7.6 billion, respectively, based on
approved SFA program applications, leaving about $26.5 billion of unrecognized costs as of September
30, 2023.
Significant uncertainties (discussed in Note 25, Social Insurance, to the consolidated financial
statements), which primarily relate to the achievement of projected reductions in Medicare cost growth,
affect the sustainability financial statements. In addition, the material weakness related to the
Reconciliations of Net Operating Cost and Budget Deficit and the Statements of Changes in Cash
Balance from Budget and Other Activities hampers the federal government’s ability to demonstrate the
reliability of historical budget information used for certain key inputs to the 2023 and 2022 Statements
of Long-Term Fiscal Projections.
As a result of these significant uncertainties and this material weakness, readers are cautioned that
amounts reported in the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections; the 2023, 2022,
2021, 2020, and 2019 Statements of Social Insurance; the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Changes in
Social Insurance Amounts; and related notes to these financial statements may not fairly present, in all
material respects, the sustainability information for those years in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles.
• Medicare projections in the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections and the
2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 Statements of Social Insurance were based on benefit formulas
under current law and included a significant reduction in Medicare payment rate updates for
productivity improvements for most categories of Medicare providers, 11 based on full
implementation
10See Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, FY 2022 Projections Report (Sept. 2022), accessed on February 7, 2024,
https://www.pbgc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fy-2022-projections-report.pdf.
11Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s productivity adjustment provisions, productivity improvements are
designed to result in lower overall Medicare spending because of smaller annual increases in the Medicare payment rates paid
to many health care providers. This is often referred to as a reduction in Medicare payment rate updates. The health care
provider categories affected include inpatient and outpatient hospital services, skilled nursing facilities, home health care,
ambulance, ambulatory surgical centers, durable medical equipment, and prosthetics.
223 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
of the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended (PPACA), 12 and
physician payment updates specified by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of
2015 (MACRA). 13
Management has noted that certain features of current law may result in some challenges for the
Medicare program, including physician payments, payment rate updates for most nonphysician
categories, and productivity adjustments. 14 For example, the financial projections under current law
presented in the 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 Statements of Social Insurance reflect
substantial, but very uncertain, cost savings deriving from current-law provisions that lower
increases in Medicare payment rates to most categories of health care providers. Without
fundamental change in the current delivery system, these adjustments would probably not be viable
indefinitely. Should payment rates prove to be inadequate for any service, beneficiaries’ access to
and the quality of Medicare benefits would deteriorate over time, or future legislation would need to
be enacted that would likely increase program costs beyond those projected under current law.
The extent to which actual future costs exceed the amounts projected under current law because of
changes to the scheduled reductions in Medicare payment rate updates for productivity adjustments
and specified physician payment updates depends on both the specific changes that might be
enacted and whether enacted legislation would include further provisions to help offset such costs.
Consequently, there are significant uncertainties concerning the achievement of these projected
reductions in Medicare payment rate updates.
• Management noted that these significant uncertainties about projected reductions in health care
cost growth also affect the projected Medicare and Medicaid costs reported in the 2023 and 2022
Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections.
Projections of Medicare costs are sensitive to assumptions about future policy decisions and consumer,
employer, and health care provider behavioral responses as policy, incentives, and the health care
sector change over time. Such secondary effects are not fully reflected in the sustainability financial
statements but could be expected to influence the excess cost growth rate used in the projections. 15
Key drivers of uncertainty about the excess cost growth rate include the future development and
deployment of medical technology, the evolution of personal income, the cost and availability of
insurance, and federal policy changes. As discussed in the RSI section of the 2023 Financial Report of
12Pub. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119 (Mar. 23, 2010), as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of
2010, Pub. L. No. 111-152, 124 Stat. 1029 (Mar. 30, 2010). In this report, references to PPACA include any amendments
made by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
13Pub. L. No. 114-10, title I, § 101, 129 Stat. 87, 89 (Apr. 16, 2015). MACRA included many provisions that affect Medicare,
including the repeal of the sustainable growth rate formula for calculating annual updates to Medicare reimbursement payment
rates to physicians and certain nonphysician medical providers, and established an alternative set of annual updates. See id.
14Management, as used in this audit report, refers to the management of the federal government.
15The excess cost growth rate is the increase in health care spending per person relative to the growth of GDP per person
the United States Government (2023 Financial Report), the projections are very sensitive to changes in
the health care cost growth assumption.
As discussed in Note 24, Long-Term Fiscal Projections, and Note 25, Social Insurance, to the
consolidated financial statements, the sustainability financial statements are based on management’s
assumptions. These sustainability financial statements present the present value of the U.S.
government’s estimated future receipts and spending using a projection period sufficient to illustrate
long-term sustainability. 16 The sustainability financial statements are intended to aid users in assessing
whether future resources will likely be sufficient to sustain public services and to meet obligations as
they come due.
In preparing the sustainability financial statements, management selects assumptions and data that it
believes provide a reasonable basis to illustrate whether current policy is sustainable. As discussed in
the 2023 Financial Report, current policy is based on current law but includes several adjustments. In
the Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections, notable adjustments to current law include
• projected spending, receipts, and borrowing levels assume raising or suspending the current
statutory limit on federal debt;
• continued discretionary appropriations are assumed throughout the projection period;
• scheduled Social Security and Medicare Hospital Insurance (Part A) benefit payments are assumed
to occur beyond the projected point of trust fund depletion; and
• many mandatory programs with expiration dates prior to the end of the 75-year projection period
are assumed to be reauthorized.
In the Statements of Social Insurance, the one adjustment to current law is that scheduled Social
Security and Medicare Part A benefit payments are assumed to occur beyond the projected point of
depletion of the trust funds. Assumptions underlying such sustainability information do not consider
changes in policy or all potential future events that could affect future revenue and expenditures and,
hence, sustainability. Also, the projections assume that debt could continuously rise without severe
economic consequences. The RSI section of the 2023 Financial Report includes unaudited information
on how changes in various assumptions would affect the Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections
and Statements of Social Insurance. The projections in the sustainability financial statements are not
forecasts or predictions.
The 2023 sustainability financial statements are based on the economic assumptions that underlie the
2023 Social Security Trustees’ Report. Those assumptions include the Trustees’ best estimates of the
residual effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.
As discussed in the unaudited RSI section of the 2023 Financial Report, the combined Social Security
trust funds are projected to be depleted in 2034. 17 Further, based on the achievement of the cost
growth reductions discussed above, the Medicare Part A trust fund is projected to be depleted in 2031.
After depletion, the trust funds would be unable to pay the full amount of scheduled benefits. For Social
16The projection period used in the Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections is 75 years. The projection period for the
Statements of Social Insurance is 75 years for the Social Security, Medicare, and Railroad Retirement social insurance
programs and 25 years for the Black Lung program.
17The projected depletion date for the combined Social Security trust funds is hypothetical and often used for simplicity to
illustrate the solvency of the Social Security program by combining the separate Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance
trust fund and the Federal Disability Insurance trust fund. For the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund, future
revenues were projected to be sufficient to pay 77 percent of scheduled benefits in 2033, the year of projected trust fund
depletion, decreasing to 71 percent in 2097. For the Federal Disability Insurance trust fund, asset reserves are not projected to
become depleted during the 75-year period ending in 2097.
225 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
Security, future revenues were projected to be sufficient to pay 80 percent of scheduled benefits in
2034, the year of projected combined trust funds depletion, decreasing to 74 percent of scheduled
benefits in 2097. For Medicare Part A, future revenues were projected to be sufficient to pay 89 percent
of scheduled benefits in 2031, the year of projected trust fund depletion, declining to 81 percent by
2047, and then increasing to 96 percent of scheduled benefits in 2097.
Because of the large number of factors that affect the sustainability financial statements and the fact
that future events and circumstances cannot be projected with certainty, even if current policy is
continued, there will be differences between the projections in the sustainability financial statements
and the actual results, and those differences may be material.
For fiscal years 2023 and 2022, there were other limitations on the scope of our work, in addition to the
material weaknesses and significant uncertainties noted above, that contributed to our disclaimers of
opinion on the consolidated financial statements. Such limitations primarily relate to obtaining adequate
representations from management regarding the financial statements. Treasury and OMB depend on
representations from certain federal entities to provide their representations to us regarding the U.S.
government’s consolidated financial statements. Treasury and OMB were unable to provide us with
adequate representations regarding the accrual-based consolidated financial statements for fiscal years
2023 and 2022, primarily because certain federal entities were not able to provide them sufficient
representations.
Emphasis of Matters
The following matters deserve emphasis to put the information in the consolidated financial statements
and the Management’s Discussion and Analysis section of the 2023 Financial Report into context. Our
disclaimers of opinion are not modified with respect to these matters.
The 2023 Statement of Long-Term Fiscal Projections and related information in Note 24, Long-Term
Fiscal Projections, to the consolidated financial statements and the unaudited RSI section of the 2023
Financial Report show that based on current revenue and spending policies, the federal government
continues to face an unsustainable long-term fiscal path. At the end of fiscal year 2023, debt held by
the public was approximately 97 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The projections in the 2023
Financial Report show that debt held by the public will reach its historical high of 106 percent of GDP in
2028 and will grow faster than the economy over the long term. For the 2023 projections, debt held by
the public as a share of GDP (debt-to-GDP) at the end of the 75-year projection period is projected to
be 531 percent. Annual budget deficits are projected to continue throughout the 75-year projection
period. Over the long term, the imbalance between spending and revenue that is built into current policy
and law is projected to lead to continued growth of debt-to-GDP. This situation—in which debt held by
the public grows faster than GDP—means that the federal government’s long-term fiscal path is
unsustainable.
Under the 2023 Financial Report projections, spending for major health and retirement programs will
increase more rapidly than GDP in the coming decades, in part because of an aging population and
projected continued increases in health care costs. These projections for Social Security and Medicare
are based on the same assumptions underlying the information presented in the Statement of Social
Insurance and assume that the provisions enacted in PPACA, designed to slow the growth of Medicare
costs, are sustained and remain in effect throughout the projection period. The projections also reflect
the effects of MACRA, which, among other things, revised the methodology for determining physician
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 226
payment rates. If, however, the Medicare cost containment measures and physician payment rate
methodology are not sustained over the long term—concerns expressed by the Trustees of the
Medicare trust funds, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Chief Actuary, the Congressional
Budget Office (CBO), and others—spending on federal health care programs will grow more rapidly
than assumed in the projections.
In addition, based on the 2023 Financial Report projections, spending on net interest (primarily interest
on debt held by the public) will surpass Social Security spending and become the largest category of
spending in 2036. Net interest is projected to increase from 2.4 percent of GDP in fiscal year 2023 to
5.3 percent of GDP in fiscal year 2034 (about 19 percent of 2034 projected total spending), and to 24.0
percent of GDP in fiscal year 2098 (about 51 percent of 2098 projected total spending).
GAO and CBO also prepare long-term federal fiscal simulations, which continue to show debt-to-GDP
rising in the long term. 18 GAO, CBO, and the 2023 Financial Report all project that debt-to-GDP will
surpass its historical high (106 percent in 1946) in 2028. Each of these projections uses somewhat
different assumptions, but their overall conclusions are the same: based on current revenue and
spending policies, the federal government’s long-term fiscal path is unsustainable.
Further, these projections do not fully account for other risks—such as natural disasters and climate
change, global or regional military conflicts, housing finance, and public health crises—that could affect
the federal government’s financial condition in the future. These risks, also known as fiscal exposures,
place additional pressure on the federal budget. They result in responsibilities, programs, and activities
that may legally commit or create expectations for future federal spending based on current policy, past
practices, or other factors. A more complete understanding of fiscal exposures can help policymakers
anticipate changes in future spending and can enhance oversight of federal resources.
The 2023 Financial Report provides an estimate of the magnitude of policy changes needed to achieve
a target debt-to-GDP ratio of 97 percent (the 2023 level) in 2098 (the fiscal gap). 19 Policymakers could
close the fiscal gap, achieving the target ratio, through a combination of revenue increases and
noninterest spending reductions. To illustrate the magnitude of policy changes needed, if policymakers
choose to close the fiscal gap solely through increased revenues, they would need to make policy
changes over a 75-year period (fiscal years 2024 to 2098) that increase each year’s projected revenues
by 23.8 percent. If policymakers choose to close the fiscal gap solely through reductions in noninterest
spending, they would need to make policy changes over a 75-year period (fiscal years 2024 to 2098)
that reduce each year’s projected noninterest spending by 19.8 percent. The projections show that the
longer policy changes are delayed, the more significant the magnitude of policy changes will need to be
to achieve the debt-to-GDP target.
18For more information on GAO’s simulations, see America's Fiscal Future, accessed on February 7, 2024,
https://www.gao.gov/americas-fiscal-future. For more information on CBO’s simulations, see Congressional Budget Office, The
Budget and Economic Outlook: 2024 to 2034 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 7, 2024).
19Fiscalgap can also be calculated using different time horizons and different target debt-to-GDP ratios. GAO projects a fiscal
gap for a 30-year period. For more information, see GAO, “Interactive Graphic: Exploring the Tough Choices for a Sustainable
Fiscal Path,” accessed February 7, 2024, https://files.gao.gov/multimedia/gao-23-106201/interactive.
227 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
ensure their financial stability. The agreements with these GSEs could affect the federal government’s
financial condition. As of September 30, 2023, the federal government reported about $240 billion of
investments in these GSEs, which is net of about $70 billion in valuation losses. The reported maximum
remaining contractual commitment to these GSEs, if needed, is $254.1 billion.
In valuing these equity investments, management considered and selected assumptions and data that
it believed provided a reasonable basis for the estimated values reported in the accrual-based
consolidated financial statements. However, as discussed in Note 1, Summary of Significant
Accounting Policies, to the consolidated financial statements, there are many factors affecting these
assumptions and estimates that are inherently subject to substantial uncertainty arising from the
likelihood of future changes in general economic, regulatory, and market conditions. As such, there will
be differences between the estimated values as of September 30, 2023, and the actual results, and
such differences may be material.
Also, as discussed in Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to the consolidated financial
statements, the assets, liabilities, and results of operations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not
consolidated into the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements. Treasury and OMB have
determined that these entities do not meet the criteria for consolidation. 20 The ultimate role of these
GSEs could affect the federal government’s financial condition and the financial condition of certain
federal entities, including the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which in the past expanded its
lending role in distressed housing and mortgage markets. In addition, as discussed in Note 21,
Contingencies, to the consolidated financial statements, the Government National Mortgage
Association (Ginnie Mae) guarantees the performance of about $2.5 trillion in securities backed by
federally insured mortgages—$1.3 trillion of which were insured by FHA and $1.2 trillion by other
federal entities, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Other Matter
The federal government’s ability to efficiently and effectively manage and oversee its day-to-day
operations and programs relies heavily on the ability of entity financial management systems to
produce complete, reliable, timely, and consistent financial information for use by executive branch
agencies and Congress. 21 The Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA) was
designed to lead to system improvements that would result in CFO Act agency managers routinely
having access to reliable, useful, and timely financial information with which to measure performance
and increase accountability throughout the year.
The 24 CFO Act agencies are responsible for implementing and maintaining financial management
systems that comply substantially with FFMIA requirements. FFMIA also requires auditors, as part of
the 24 CFO Act agencies’ financial statement audits, to report whether those agencies’ financial
20For additional information on the GSE preferred stock purchase agreements and valuation of the investment in the GSEs,
see Note 8, Investments in Government-Sponsored Enterprises, to the consolidated financial statements. For additional
information on the criteria used to determine which federal entities are included in the reporting entity for the consolidated
financial statements, as well as the reasons for not including certain entities, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, see app.
A of the 2023 Financial Report.
21The Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996, which is reprinted in 31 U.S.C. § 3512 note, defines “financial
management systems” to include the financial systems and the financial portions of mixed systems necessary to support
financial management, including automated and manual processes, procedures, controls, data, hardware, software, and
support personnel dedicated to the operation and maintenance of system functions.
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 228
management systems comply substantially with (1) federal financial management systems
requirements, (2) applicable federal accounting standards, and (3) the federal government’s U.S.
Standard General Ledger at the transaction level.
For both fiscal years 2023 and 2022, auditors for eight of the 24 CFO Act agencies reported that the
agencies’ financial management systems did not comply substantially with one or more of the three
FFMIA requirements. Agency management at the 24 CFO Act agencies also annually report on FFMIA
compliance. For both fiscal years 2023 and 2022, agency management for seven of the 24 CFO Act
agencies reported that their agencies’ financial management systems did not comply substantially with
one or more of the three FFMIA requirements. Based on agency financial reports, differences in the
assessments of substantial compliance between the auditors and agency management reflect
differences in management’s and auditors’ views regarding the effect of reported deficiencies on
agency financial management systems.
Long-standing financial management systems weaknesses at several large CFO Act agencies, along
with the size and complexity of the federal government, continue to present a formidable management
challenge in providing accountability and contribute significantly to certain material weaknesses and
other limitations discussed in this audit report.
Management of the federal government is responsible for (1) the preparation and fair presentation of
the consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles;
(2) preparing, measuring, and presenting the RSI in accordance with U.S. generally accepted
accounting principles; and (3) designing, implementing, and maintaining effective internal control
relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
Our responsibility is to conduct an audit of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with
U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards and to issue an auditor’s report. However,
because of the matters described in the Basis for Disclaimers of Opinion section of our report, we were
not able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for an audit opinion on the
consolidated financial statements.
We are required to be independent with respect to the U.S. government’s consolidated financial
statements and to meet our other ethical responsibilities, in accordance with the relevant ethical
requirements relating to our audit.
U.S. generally accepted accounting principles issued by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory
Board (FASAB) require that the RSI be presented in the 2023 Financial Report to supplement the
financial statements. Such information is the responsibility of management and, although the RSI is not
a part of the financial statements, is required by FASAB, which considers this information to be an
essential part of financial reporting for placing the financial statements in appropriate operational,
economic, or historical context. We were unable to apply certain limited procedures to the RSI in
accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards because of the material
weaknesses and other scope limitations discussed in this audit report. We did not audit and do not
express an opinion or provide any assurance on the RSI.
229 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
Readers are cautioned that the material weaknesses, significant uncertainties, and other scope
limitations discussed in this audit report may affect the reliability of certain information contained in the
RSI that is taken from the same data sources as the accrual-based consolidated financial statements
and the sustainability financial statements.
In connection with our audits of the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements, we
considered the federal government’s internal control over financial reporting, consistent with our
auditor’s responsibilities discussed below.
Our consideration of internal control was for the limited purpose described below, and was not
designed to identify all deficiencies in internal control that might be material weaknesses or significant
deficiencies or to express an opinion on the effectiveness of the U.S. government’s internal control over
financial reporting. Given this limitation and other limitations discussed in this audit report, material
weaknesses or significant deficiencies may exist that have not been identified. 22
The material weaknesses discussed in this audit report resulted in ineffective internal control over
financial reporting. Consequently, the federal government’s internal control did not provide reasonable
assurance that a material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements would be prevented, or
detected and corrected, on a timely basis.
In addition to the material weaknesses that contributed to our disclaimers of opinion on the accrual-
based consolidated financial statements and the sustainability financial statements, which were
discussed previously, we found two other continuing material weaknesses in internal control, related to
the federal government’s inability to
• determine the full extent to which improper payments occur and reasonably assure that appropriate
actions are taken to reduce them and
• identify and resolve information system control deficiencies and manage information security risks
on an ongoing basis.
These other material weaknesses are discussed in more detail in appendix III, including the primary
effects of the material weaknesses on the accrual-based consolidated financial statements and on the
management of federal government operations.
We also found three significant deficiencies in internal controls related to the following:
• taxes receivable,
• federal grants management, and
• Medicare social insurance information.
Further, individual federal entity financial statement audit reports identified additional control
deficiencies that the entities’ auditors reported as either material weaknesses or significant deficiencies
22Asignificant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that is less
severe than a material weakness yet important enough to merit attention by those charged with governance.
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 230
at the individual entity level. We do not consider these additional deficiencies to represent material
weaknesses or significant deficiencies with respect to the U.S. government’s consolidated financial
statements.
Basis for Results of Our Consideration of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We performed our procedures related to the federal government’s internal control over financial
reporting in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards.
Management of the federal government is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining
effective internal control over financial reporting relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of
financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In planning and performing our audit of the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements as of
and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted
government auditing standards, we considered internal control relevant to the financial statement audit
in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of
expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we
do not express an opinion on the effectiveness of the federal government’s internal control over
financial reporting. We are required to report significant deficiencies or material weaknesses identified
during our audit. We did not consider all internal controls relevant to operating objectives, such as those
controls relevant to preparing performance information and ensuring efficient operations.
An entity’s internal control over financial reporting is a process effected by those charged with
governance, management, and other personnel, the objectives of which are to provide reasonable
assurance that (1) transactions are properly recorded, processed, and summarized to permit the
preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles,
and assets are safeguarded against loss from unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition, and (2)
transactions are executed in accordance with provisions of applicable laws (including those governing
the use of budget authority), regulations, contracts, and grant agreements, noncompliance with which
could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent, or detect
and correct, misstatements due to fraud or error.
The purpose of this report is solely to describe the scope of our consideration of the federal
government’s internal control over financial reporting and the results of our procedures, and not to
provide an opinion on the effectiveness of the federal government’s internal control over financial
reporting. This report is an integral part of an audit performed in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted government auditing standards in considering internal control over financial reporting.
Accordingly, this report on internal control over financial reporting is not suitable for any other purpose.
231 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
In connection with our audits of the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements, we tested
compliance with selected provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements
consistent with our auditor’s responsibilities discussed below.
Results of Our Tests for Compliance with Laws, Regulations, Contracts, and Grant Agreements
Our tests for compliance with selected provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant
agreements were limited by certain material weaknesses and other scope limitations discussed in this
audit report. The objective of our tests was not to provide an opinion on compliance with laws,
regulations, contracts, and grant agreements applicable to the federal government. Accordingly, we do
not express such an opinion. U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards require auditors
to report on entities’ compliance with selected provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and
grant agreements. Certain significant component entity audit reports contain instances of
noncompliance. None of these instances were deemed to be reportable noncompliance with regard to
the accompanying U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements.
Basis for Results of Our Tests for Compliance with Laws, Regulations, Contracts, and Grant
Agreements
We performed our tests of compliance in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing
standards. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s
Responsibilities for Tests of Compliance with Laws, Regulations, Contracts, and Grant Agreements
section below.
Responsibilities of Management for Compliance with Laws, Regulations, Contracts, and Grant
Agreements
Management of the federal government is responsible for the federal government’s compliance with
laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements.
Auditor’s Responsibilities for Tests of Compliance with Laws, Regulations, Contracts, and Grant
Agreements
Our responsibility is to test compliance with selected provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and
grant agreements applicable to the federal government that have a direct effect the determination of
material amounts and disclosures in the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements, and to
perform certain other limited procedures. Accordingly, we did not test compliance with all laws,
regulations, contracts, and grant agreements applicable to the federal government. We caution that,
because of the limitations discussed above and the scope of our procedures, noncompliance may
occur and not be detected by these tests.
Intended Purpose of Report on Compliance with Laws, Regulations, Contracts, and Grant Agreements
The purpose of this report is solely to describe the scope of our testing of compliance with selected
provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements, and the results of that
testing, and not to provide an opinion on compliance. This report is an integral part of an audit
performed in accordance with U.S. generally accepted government auditing standards in considering
compliance. Accordingly, this report on compliance with laws, regulations, contracts, and grant
agreements is not suitable for any other purpose.
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 232
Agency Comments
We provided a draft of this audit report to Treasury and OMB officials, who provided technical
comments that we have incorporated as appropriate. Treasury and OMB officials expressed their
continuing commitment to addressing the problems this report outlines.
Robert F. Dacey
Chief Accountant
U.S. Government Accountability Office
February 7, 2024
233 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
Appendix I
Our objectives were to audit the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements, consisting of the
accrual-based consolidated financial statements and sustainability financial statements. The accrual-
based consolidated financial statements consist of the (1) Statements of Net Cost, Statements of
Operations and Changes in Net Position, Reconciliations of Net Operating Cost and Budget Deficit, and
Statements of Changes in Cash Balance from Budget and Other Activities, for the fiscal years ended
September 30, 2023, and 2022; (2) Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2023, and 2022; and (3)
related notes to these financial statements. The sustainability financial statements consist of the 2023
and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections; the 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019
Statements of Social Insurance; the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Changes in Social Insurance
Amounts; and related notes to these financial statements. Our objectives also included reporting on
internal control over financial reporting and on compliance with selected provisions of applicable laws,
regulations, contracts, and grant agreements.
The Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (CFO Act), as expanded by the Government Management
Reform Act of 1994 (GMRA), requires the inspectors general of the 24 CFO Act agencies to be
responsible for annual audits of agency-wide financial statements that these agencies prepare. 23
GMRA also requires GAO to be responsible for the audit of the U.S. government’s consolidated
financial statements. 24 The Accountability of Tax Dollars Act of 2002 requires most other executive
branch entities to prepare financial statements annually and have them audited. 25 The Office of
Management and Budget and the Department of the Treasury have identified 40 federal entities that
are significant to the U.S. government’s fiscal year 2023 consolidated financial statements, including
the 24 CFO Act agencies. 26 We consider these 40 entities to be significant component entities for
purposes of our audit of the consolidated financial statements.
For the significant component entities audited by inspectors general or independent public accountants,
we performed our work in coordination and cooperation with them to achieve our respective audit
objectives. Our audit approach regarding the accrual-based consolidated financial statements primarily
focused on determining the current status of the material weaknesses that contributed to our disclaimer
of opinion on the accrual-based consolidated financial statements and the other material weaknesses
affecting internal control that were included in our audit report on the consolidated financial statements
for fiscal year 2022. 27 We also separately audited the financial statements of certain component
entities, and parts of a significant component entity, including the following.
2331U.S.C. § 3521(e). GMRA authorized the Office of Management and Budget to designate agency components that also
must report financial statements and have them audited. See 31 U.S.C. § 3515(c).
2431 U.S.C. § 331(e)(2).
2531 U.S.C. § 3515.
26See app. A of the Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Report of the United States Government for a list of the 40 entities.
27GAO, Financial Audit: FY 2022 and FY 2021 Consolidated Financial Statements of the U.S. Government, GAO-23-105837
(Washington, D.C.: Feb. 16, 2023).
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 234
• We audited and expressed an unmodified opinion on the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) financial
statements as of and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and 2022. 28 In fiscal years
2023 and 2022, IRS collected taxes of about $4.7 trillion (2023) and $4.9 trillion (2022) and paid
refunds and other payments to taxpayers of about $659 billion (2023) and $642 billion (2022). We
also reported that although internal controls could be improved, IRS maintained, in all material
respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2023. In addition, we
reported that we found no reportable noncompliance for fiscal year 2023 with provisions of
applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements we tested.
• We audited and expressed an unmodified opinion on the Schedules of Federal Debt managed by
Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and 2022. 29
For these fiscal years, the schedules reported (1) federal debt held by the public of about $26.3
trillion (2023) and $24.3 trillion (2022), 30 (2) intragovernmental debt holdings of about $6.8 trillion
(2023) and $6.6 trillion (2022), 31 and (3) interest on federal debt held by the public of about $678
billion (2023) and $497 billion (2022). We also reported that Fiscal Service maintained, in all
material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting relevant to the Schedule of
Federal Debt as of September 30, 2023. In addition, we reported that we found no reportable
noncompliance for fiscal year 2023 with provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and
grant agreements we tested related to the Schedule of Federal Debt.
• We audited and expressed unmodified opinions on the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission’s (SEC) and its Investor Protection Fund’s (IPF) financial statements as of and for the
fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and 2022. 32 We also reported that SEC maintained, in all
material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting for both the entity as a whole and
IPF as of September 30, 2023. In addition, we reported that we found no reportable noncompliance
for either SEC or IPF for fiscal year 2023 with provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts,
and grant agreements we tested.
• We audited and expressed an unmodified opinion on the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s
(FHFA) financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and 2022. 33
We also reported that although controls could be improved, FHFA maintained, in all material
respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2023. In addition, we
28GAO, Financial Audit: IRS’s FY 2023 and FY 2022 Financial Statements, GAO-24-106472 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 9, 2023).
29GAO, Financial Audit: Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s FY 2023 and FY 2022 Schedules of Federal Debt, GAO-24-106340
(Washington, D.C.: Nov. 9, 2023).
30Debt held by the public on the Schedules of Federal Debt represents federal debt that Treasury issued and that is held by
investors outside of the federal government, including individuals, corporations, state or local governments, the Federal
Reserve, and foreign governments.
31Intragovernmental debt holdings represent federal debt that Treasury owes to federal government accounts, primarily federal
trust funds, such as those established for Social Security and Medicare.
32GAO, Financial Audit: Securities and Exchange Commission’s FY 2023 and FY 2022 Financial Statements, GAO-24-106578
(Washington, D.C.: Nov. 15, 2023).
33GAO, Financial Audit: Federal Housing Finance Agency’s FY 2023 and FY 2022 Financial Statements, GAO-24-106668
(Washington, D.C.: Nov. 15, 2023).
235 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
reported that we found no reportable noncompliance for fiscal year 2023 with provisions of
applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements we tested.
• We audited and expressed an unmodified opinion on the Office of Financial Stability’s (OFS)
financial statements for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) as of and for the fiscal years
ended September 30, 2023, and 2022. 34 We also reported that OFS maintained, in all material
respects, effective internal control over financial reporting for TARP as of September 30, 2023. In
addition, we reported that we found no reportable noncompliance for fiscal year 2023 with
provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements we tested. This was our
15th and final financial statement audit of TARP. As of September 30, 2023, all TARP programs
have closed, and there are no remaining troubled assets held by OFS.
• We audited and expressed an unmodified opinion on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s
(CFPB) financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, and 2022. 35
We also reported that CFPB maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over
financial reporting as of September 30, 2023. In addition, we reported that we found no reportable
noncompliance for fiscal year 2023 with provisions of applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and
grant agreements we tested.
• We audited and expressed a disclaimer of opinion on the Schedules of the General Fund of the
U.S. Government as of and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022. 36 Underlying scope
limitations, which were the basis for our disclaimer of opinion on the Schedules of the General
Fund, related to readily (1) identifying and tracing General Fund transactions to determine whether
they were complete and properly recorded in the correct general ledger accounts and line items
within the Schedules of the General Fund and (2) providing documentation to support the account
attributes assigned to Treasury Account Symbols that determine how transactions are reported in
the Schedules of the General Fund. The Schedules of the General Fund as of and for the fiscal
year ended September 30, 2023, were not audited to allow Treasury time to develop and implement
a remediation plan to address the issues we identified as part of our audit of the fiscal year 2022
Schedules of the General Fund.
We performed work related to Treasury’s processes and controls used to prepare the consolidated
financial statements.
We considered the significant entities’ fiscal years 2023 and 2022 financial statements and the related
auditors’ reports that the inspectors general or independent public accountants prepared. We did not
audit, and we do not express an opinion on, any of these individual federal entity financial statements.
We considered the disclaimers of opinion that the Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Inspector
General (OIG) issued on DOD’s department-wide financial statements as of and for the fiscal years
34GAO, Financial Audit: Office of Financial Stability’s (Troubled Asset Relief Program) FY 2023 and FY 2022 Financial
reporting entity that comprises the activities fundamental to funding the federal government (e.g., issued budget authority,
cash activity, and debt financing activities). See GAO, Financial Audit: Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s FY 2022 Schedules of
the General Fund, GAO-23-104786 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 30, 2023).
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 236
ended September 30, 2023, and 2022. 37 The disclaimers of opinion were partially based on the
disclaimers of opinion for multiple DOD components, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense
Health Program, Defense Logistics Agency, U.S. Special Operations Command, and U.S.
Transportation Command. DOD OIG also reported material weaknesses in internal control over
financial reporting (28 in both fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2022), including those related to (1)
property, plant, and equipment; (2) inventory and related property; (3) environmental and disposal
liabilities; (4) disbursement activity; (5) intragovernmental transactions; and (6) information system
controls.
We considered the disclaimers of opinion that the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) auditor issued
on SBA’s balance sheets as of September 30, 2023, and 2022 (its remaining statements were
unaudited). 38 The disclaimers of opinion were based on SBA’s inability to provide adequate evidential
matter in support of a significant number of transactions and account balances related to COVID-19
relief programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program and the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster
Loan program, because of inadequate processes and controls. SBA’s auditor also reported six material
weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting in fiscal years 2023 and 2022, largely because of
deficiencies related to COVID-19 relief programs.
We considered the disclaimers of opinion that the Department of Education’s auditor issued on the
department’s balance sheet as of September 30, 2023 (its remaining statements were unaudited), and
its financial statements as of and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022. 39 The disclaimers of
opinion were based on Education’s inability to provide adequate evidential matter to support certain key
assumptions used to estimate the cost of its student loan programs. Education’s auditor reported a
material weakness in internal control over financial reporting in fiscal years 2023 and 2022 related to
loans receivable and loan guarantees.
Our audit approach for the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections focused
primarily on determining whether the information relating to the Statements of Social Insurance is
properly reflected therein and testing the methodology used, as well as evaluating key assumptions.
We also evaluated whether the internal control deficiencies related to the accrual-based consolidated
financial statements affected certain key inputs used in generating the projections.
Because of the significance of the amounts presented in the Statements of Social Insurance and
Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts related to the Social Security Administration
(SSA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), our audit approach regarding these
statements focused primarily on reviewing audit work performed with respect to these two federal
entities. For each federal entity preparing a Statement of Social Insurance and Statement of Changes
in Social Insurance Amounts, 40 we considered the entity’s 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019
Statements of Social Insurance and the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Changes in Social Insurance
Amounts, as well as the related auditor’s reports that the inspectors general or independent public
accountants prepared. This included considering the disclaimers of opinion that HHS’s auditor issued
37Department of Defense, United States Department of Defense Agency Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2023 (Arlington, Va.:
Nov. 15, 2023).
Small Business Administration, Agency Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2023 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 15, 2023), and
38
Agency Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2022 (Washington, D.C.: Nov. 15, 2022).
39Department of Education, Agency Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2023 (Washington, D.C.; Nov. 16, 2023), and Agency
Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2022 (Washington, D.C.; Jan. 23, 2023).
40These entities are SSA, HHS, the Railroad Retirement Board, and the Department of Labor.
237 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
on the department’s 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 Statements of Social Insurance and 2023 and
2022 Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts.
We performed sufficient audit work to provide our reports on (1) the consolidated financial statements;
(2) internal control over financial reporting; and (3) compliance with selected provisions of applicable
laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements. We considered the limitations on the scope of our
work regarding the accrual-based consolidated financial statements and the sustainability financial
statements in forming our conclusions. We performed our work in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted government auditing standards.
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 238
Appendix II
This appendix describes material weaknesses that contributed to our disclaimer of opinion on the U.S.
government’s accrual-based consolidated financial statements and highlights the primary effects of
these material weaknesses on the accompanying accrual-based consolidated financial statements, the
sustainability financial statements, and the management of federal government operations. 41 The
federal government did not have sufficient appropriate evidence to support information reported in the
accompanying accrual-based consolidated financial statements, as described below.
The federal government could not satisfactorily determine that property, plant, and equipment (PP&E)
and inventories and related property were properly reported in the accrual-based consolidated financial
statements. Most of the PP&E and inventories and related property are the responsibility of the
Department of Defense (DOD). As in past years, DOD did not maintain adequate systems or have
sufficient records to provide reliable information on these assets. Certain other entities’ auditors
reported continued deficiencies in internal control procedures and processes related to PP&E.
Deficiencies in internal control over PP&E and inventories and related property could affect the federal
government’s ability to fully know the assets it owns, including their location and condition. They can
also affect the government’s ability to effectively (1) safeguard assets from physical deterioration, theft,
or loss; (2) account for acquisitions and disposals of such assets and reliably report asset balances; (3)
ensure that these assets are available for use when needed; (4) prevent unnecessary storage and
maintenance costs or purchase of assets already on hand; and (5) determine the full costs of programs
that use these assets.
The federal government could not reasonably estimate or adequately support amounts of loans
receivable and loan guarantees, most notably at the Small Business Administration (SBA) and
Department of Education. The auditor of SBA, which had substantial activity related to the COVID-19
pandemic response, reported internal control deficiencies related to SBA’s implementation of provisions
in the CARES Act and related COVID-19 relief laws. SBA’s auditor reported several material
weaknesses in internal control related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and COVID-19
Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. In addition, the auditor reported that SBA did not properly
design and implement effective entity-level controls, such as risk assessment and monitoring controls
that produce reliable and accurate financial reporting.
The auditor of Education continued to report a material weakness related to the department’s controls
over the data used for estimating the costs of its loan and loan guarantee programs. For example,
Education did not design and implement sufficient controls over the relevance and reliability of certain
data used to develop key assumptions in its estimate of the student loan program costs. In addition, an
internal control deficiency related to loan guarantees continued to exist at the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
41The material weakness related to the Reconciliations of Budget Deficit to Net Operating Cost and Changes in Cash Balance
also contributed to our disclaimer of opinion on the 2023 and 2022 Statements of Long-Term Fiscal Projections.
239 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
These deficiencies, and the complexities associated with accounting and reporting for loan and loan
guarantee programs, significantly increase the risk that misstatements in federal entity and
government-wide financial statements could occur and go undetected. Further, these deficiencies can
adversely affect the entities’ ability to support annual budget requests for these programs, make future
budgetary decisions, manage program costs, and measure the performance of lending activities.
The federal government could not reasonably estimate or adequately support amounts reported for
certain liabilities. For example, DOD’s auditor was not able to substantiate the completeness and
accuracy of DOD’s environmental and disposal liabilities. In addition, DOD’s auditor reported that DOD
could not support a significant amount of its estimated military postretirement health benefits liabilities
included in federal employee and veteran benefits payable. These unsupported amounts relate to the
cost of direct health care that DOD-managed military treatment facilities provided. In addition, auditors
reported internal control deficiencies at several other federal entities that related to material liabilities.
Further, the federal government could not determine whether commitments and contingencies,
including any related to treaties and other international agreements, were complete and properly
reported.
Problems in accounting for liabilities could affect the federal government’s ability to determine the full
cost of the federal government’s current operations and the extent of its liabilities. Also, deficiencies in
internal control related to estimating environmental and disposal liabilities could result in improperly
stated liabilities. They also could adversely affect the federal government’s ability to determine priorities
for cleanup and disposal activities and to appropriately consider future budgetary resources needed to
carry out these activities. In addition, to the extent disclosures of commitments and contingencies are
incomplete or incorrect, reliable information is not available about the extent of the federal
government’s obligations.
Reported net cost was affected by the other material weaknesses that contributed to our disclaimer of
opinion on the accrual-based consolidated financial statements. As a result, the federal government
was unable to support significant portions of the reported total net cost of operations, most notably
those related to DOD, SBA, and Education.
With respect to disbursements, auditors of DOD and certain other federal entities reported (1)
continuing control deficiencies in reconciling disbursement activity between federal entities’ and the
Department of the Treasury’s records of disbursements and (2) unsupported federal entity adjustments,
which could also affect the balance sheet.
Unreliable cost information affects the federal government’s ability to control and reduce costs, assess
performance, evaluate programs, and set fees to recover costs where required or authorized.
Improperly recorded disbursements could result in misstatements in the financial statements and in
certain data that federal entities provide for inclusion in the President’s Budget concerning obligations
and outlays.
Significant progress has been made over the past several years, but the federal government continues
to be unable to adequately account for intragovernmental activity and balances between federal
entities. Federal entities are responsible for properly accounting for and reporting their
intragovernmental activity and balances in their entity financial statements. When preparing the
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 240
consolidated financial statements, intragovernmental activity and balances between federal entities
should be in agreement and must be subtracted out, or eliminated, from the financial statements. If the
two federal entities engaged in an intragovernmental transaction do not both record the same
intragovernmental transaction in the same year and for the same amount, the intragovernmental
transactions will not be in agreement and, if not properly resolved, would result in misstatements (i.e.,
differences or unmatched amounts) in the consolidated financial statements.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Treasury have issued guidance directing
component entities to reconcile intragovernmental activity and balances with their trading partners and
resolve identified differences. In addition, the guidance directs the chief financial officers (CFO) of
significant component entities to report to Treasury, their respective inspectors general, and GAO on
the extent and results of their intragovernmental activity and balance reconciliation efforts as of the end
of the fiscal year.
To support this process during fiscal year 2023, Treasury continued to provide information and
assistance to significant component entities to aid in resolving their intragovernmental differences.
Treasury also issued additional guidance to entities for specific types of trading partner transactions. In
addition, Treasury’s quarterly scorecard process highlights differences needing the entities’ attention, 42
identifies differences that need to be resolved through a formal dispute resolution process, 43 and
reinforces the entities’ responsibilities to resolve intragovernmental differences. Treasury continued to
identify and monitor systemic root causes of intragovernmental differences and related corrective action
plans. Treasury determines intragovernmental differences by comparing summarized
intragovernmental balances that each component entity reports. In fiscal year 2023, Treasury was able
to work with component entities to reduce intragovernmental differences to amounts Treasury
determined were immaterial to the consolidated financial statements. Treasury recorded an adjustment
to remove the remaining differences with an offsetting adjustment to net cost.
While progress was made, auditors for several significant component entities continued to report that
the entities did not have effective processes for reconciling intragovernmental activity and balances with
their trading partners. 44 In fiscal year 2023, auditors reported that several component entities could not
accurately identify all intragovernmental transactions and were unable to fully reconcile
intragovernmental transactions with their trading partners. For example, DOD’s auditor reported that
DOD, which has a substantial amount of intragovernmental activity and balances, did not have
accounting systems that were able to capture the trading partner data required to eliminate
intradepartmental and intragovernmental transactions, which resulted in a risk of material
misstatements. In addition, other material weaknesses reported by DOD’s auditor could contribute to
this material weakness. Such weaknesses could result in material misstatements in the component
entities’ intragovernmental balances reported to Treasury.
42Treasury produces a quarterly scorecard for each significant entity, as well as any other component entity reporting
significant intragovernmental balances or differences, that reports various aspects of each entity’s intragovernmental
differences with its trading partners, including the composition of the differences by trading partner and category. Pursuant to
Treasury guidance, entities are expected to resolve, with their respective trading partners, the differences identified in their
scorecards.
43When an entity and its respective trading partner cannot resolve an intragovernmental difference, Treasury guidance directs
the entity to request that Treasury resolve the dispute. Treasury will review the dispute and issue a decision on how to resolve
the difference, which the entities must follow.
44Key entities contributing to the material weakness for intragovernmental activity and balances include the Department of
Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of State, and Security Assistance Accounts.
241 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
These internal control deficiencies over intragovernmental activity and balances at the component
entities could result in material misstatements in the accrual-based consolidated financial statements
due to (1) unresolved differences in component entity intragovernmental activity and balances at the
transaction level and (2) misstatements in the summarized intragovernmental information reported to
Treasury. Also, intragovernmental differences in the summarized intragovernmental information
reported to Treasury could result in the need for Treasury to record material unmatched transactions
and balances to balance the consolidated financial statements. Addressing these deficiencies remain a
difficult challenge and will require federal entities’ strong and sustained commitment to resolving
differences with their trading partners timely, as well as Treasury’s and OMB’s continued strong
leadership.
Treasury, in coordination with OMB, implemented corrective actions in recent years related to
deficiencies in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements. Corrective actions included
improving systems and implementing new processes for preparing the consolidated financial
statements, enhancing guidance for collecting data from component entities, and implementing
procedures to address certain previously issued internal control deficiencies. 45 However, the federal
government’s systems, controls, and procedures were not adequate to reasonably assure that the
consolidated financial statements are consistent with the underlying audited entity financial statements,
properly balanced, and in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP).
During our fiscal year 2023 audit, deficiencies in the preparation of the consolidated financial
statements included the following.
• For fiscal year 2023, auditors reported internal control deficiencies at several component entities
related to their entity-level controls, including the control environment, risk assessment, information
and communication, and monitoring components of internal control, that could affect Treasury’s
ability to obtain reliable financial information from federal entities for consolidation. For example,
DOD and SBA reported material weaknesses in entity-level controls.
• For fiscal year 2023, auditors reported internal control deficiencies at several component entities
related to the entities’ financial reporting processes that could affect information included in the
consolidated financial statements. For example, DOD could not demonstrate that its financial
statements were consistent with underlying records.
• While Treasury, working with component entities, was able to reduce intragovernmental differences
in fiscal year 2023 to an immaterial amount based on component entities reported data, the
intragovernmental material weakness discussed above continued to impair Treasury’s ability to
properly balance the consolidated financial statements. Intragovernmental differences in the
summarized intragovernmental information reported to Treasury could result in the need for
Treasury to record material unmatched transactions and balances to balance the consolidated
financial statements.
• Over the past several years, Treasury has taken significant actions to work toward reporting and
disclosing financial information in the consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S.
GAAP. For example, Treasury has developed and improved U.S. GAAP compliance operating
procedures and checklists. Also, Treasury, along with the Department of State, issued guidance to
45In August 2023, we reported on the status of the issues we identified to Treasury and OMB and provided recommendations
for corrective action. See GAO, U.S. Consolidated Financial Statements: Improvements Needed in Internal Controls over
Treasury and OMB Preparation Processes, GAO-23-106707 (Washington, D.C.: Aug. 15, 2023).
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 242
federal entities and formed a working group that is implementing a multiphase methodology to
review treaties and other international agreements for potential contingencies.
However, Treasury’s reporting of certain financial information required by U.S. GAAP continues to
be impaired. Because of certain control deficiencies noted in this audit report, Treasury cannot
determine if the disclosures in the consolidated financial statements are in accordance with U.S.
GAAP. In addition, Treasury did not have adequate policies and procedures to reasonably assure
appropriate accounting and reporting for significant, unusual transactions or events, such as the
Special Financial Assistance (SFA) program established by the American Rescue Plan Act of
2021. 46 Further, Treasury’s ability to report information in accordance with U.S. GAAP will also
remain impaired until federal entities can provide Treasury with the complete and reliable
information required to be reported in the consolidated financial statements.
In fiscal year 2023, Treasury continued to take corrective actions intended to resolve internal control
deficiencies in the processes used to prepare the consolidated financial statements. For example,
Treasury enhanced procedures for (1) considering the impact of amounts and information not obtained
from significant component entities’ audited financial statements on the reliability of the consolidated
financial statements and (2) reviewing significant component entity data submissions. In addition,
Treasury and OMB continued to enhance guidance for component entity financial reporting.
However, until these deficiencies have been fully addressed, the federal government’s ability to
reasonably assure that the consolidated financial statements are consistent with the underlying audited
federal component entities’ financial statements, properly balanced, and in accordance with U.S. GAAP
will be impaired. It is important that Treasury (1) continues to improve its systems and processes and
(2) remains committed to maintaining the progress that has been made in this area and building on that
progress to make needed improvements that fully address the magnitude of the financial reporting
challenges it faces. Resolving the remaining internal control deficiencies continues to be a difficult
challenge and will require a strong and sustained commitment from Treasury, OMB, and federal
entities.
Reconciliations of Budget Deficit to Net Operating Cost and Changes in Cash Balance
The Reconciliations of Net Operating Cost and Budget Deficit and the Statements of Changes in Cash
Balance from Budget and Other Activities (Reconciliation Statements) reconcile (1) the accrual-based
net operating cost to the primarily cash-based budget deficit and (2) the budget deficit to changes in
cash balances. The budget deficit is calculated by subtracting actual budget outlays (outlays) from
actual budget receipts (receipts). 47 The outlays and receipts are key inputs to the Statements of Long-
Term Fiscal Projections.
Treasury continued to develop its process for preparing the Reconciliation Statements. One of the two
Schedules of the General Fund of the U.S. Government provides information supporting the
46Pub. L. No. 117-2, § 9704, 135 Stat. 4, 190-99 (Mar. 11, 2021), classified at 29 U.S.C. §§ 1305(i), 1432. The American
Rescue Plan Act of 2021 established the SFA program to provide payments to eligible multiemployer pension plans to enable
them to pay benefits at plan levels through 2051.
47The budget deficit, receipts, and outlays amounts are reported in Treasury’s Monthly Treasury Statement and the President’s
Budget.
243 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
Statements of Changes in Cash Balance from Budget and Other Activities. 48 Treasury continued to
coordinate with federal entities on the implementation of newly developed transaction codes designed
to improve the accounting for and reporting of General Fund transactions and balances that Treasury
uses to compute the budget deficit reported in the Reconciliation Statements.
However, as of the end of fiscal year 2023, Treasury’s processes and procedures for preparing the
Reconciliation Statements were not effective in (1) identifying and reporting all the items in the
Reconciliation Statements, (2) properly supporting amounts used in calculating the budget deficit, and
(3) reasonably assuring that the information in these statements was fully consistent with the underlying
information in the significant component entities’ audited financial statements and other financial data.
For example, as reported in our disclaimer of opinion on the fiscal year 2022 Schedules of the General
Fund, Treasury was unable to readily provide sufficient appropriate evidence to support certain
information reported in the Schedules of the General Fund. 49 Such limitations primarily related to readily
identifying and tracing transactions to determine whether they were complete and properly recorded in
the Schedules of the General Fund. Specifically, certain amounts are netted and recorded at a
summarized level, thus preventing Treasury from readily obtaining the necessary details, at the
transaction level, to support financial reporting for certain line items in the Statements of Changes in
Cash Balance from Budget and Other Activities.
In addition, in fiscal year 2023, as in prior years, we noted that several entities’ auditors reported
internal control deficiencies related to monitoring, accounting, reconciliation, and reporting of budgetary
transactions, including deficiencies related to federal entities’ budget and accrual reconciliations. 50
These control deficiencies could affect the reporting and calculation of the net outlay amounts in the
entities’ Statements of Budgetary Resources. Such deficiencies may also affect the entities’ ability to
report reliable budgetary information to Treasury and OMB and may affect the budget deficit reported in
the Reconciliation Statements. Treasury also reports the budget deficit in its Combined Statement of
Receipts, Outlays, and Balances and in other federal government publications. 51
These internal control deficiencies related to the Reconciliation Statements could result in
misstatements that are material to the accrual-based consolidated financial statements. Resolving
these deficiencies continues to be a difficult challenge and will require a strong and sustained
commitment from Treasury, OMB, and federal entities.
48The General Fund is a component of Treasury’s central accounting function. It is a stand-alone reporting entity that
comprises the activities fundamental to funding the federal government (e.g., issued budget authority, cash activity, and debt
financing activities).
49GAO, Financial Audit: Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s FY 2022 Schedules of the General Fund, GAO-23-104786
(Washington, D.C.: Mar. 30, 2023). The fiscal year 2023 Schedules of the General Fund were not audited to allow Treasury
time to continue to implement a remediation plan to address the issues we reported as part of our disclaimer of opinion on the
fiscal year 2022 Schedules of the General Fund.
50Statement of Federal Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) 53, Budget and Accrual Reconciliation: Amending SFFAS 7,
and 24, and Rescinding SFFAS 22, became effective for periods beginning after September 30, 2018, and provides for the
budget and accrual reconciliation to replace the statement of financing. The reconciliation explains the relationship between an
entity’s net outlays on a budgetary basis and its net cost of operations during the period.
51Treasury’s Combined Statement of Receipts, Outlays, and Balances presents budget results and cash-related assets and
liabilities of the federal government with supporting details. According to Treasury, this report is the recognized official
publication of receipts and outlays of the federal government based on entity reporting.
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 244
Appendix III
Material weaknesses in internal control discussed in this audit report resulted in ineffective controls
over financial reporting. In addition to the material weaknesses discussed in appendix II that contributed
to our disclaimer of opinion on the U.S. government’s accrual-based consolidated financial statements,
we found two other continuing material weaknesses in internal control. This appendix describes these
weaknesses and highlights their primary effects on the accrual-based consolidated financial statements
and on the management of federal government operations.
Improper Payments
We have reported improper payments—payments that should not have been made or that were made
in an incorrect amount—as a material deficiency or material weakness in internal control in our audit
reports on the U.S. government’s consolidated financial statements since fiscal year 1997. 52 The
federal government is unable to determine the full extent to which improper payments occur and
reasonably assure that appropriate actions are taken to reduce them. Reducing improper payments is
critical to safeguarding federal funds. The Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA) 53 requires
federal executive agencies 54 to do the following:
Fourteen agencies reported improper payment estimates totaling about $236 billion for fiscal year 2023,
based on improper payment estimates reported individually for 71 federal programs or activities on
www.PaymentAccuracy.gov. 56 Most of the estimate was concentrated in the following areas:
Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Medicare, consisting of three programs ($51.2
52Under the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA), Pub. L. No. 116-117, 134 Stat. 113 (Mar. 2, 2020), an improper
payment is defined as any payment that should not have been made or that was made in an incorrect amount (including
overpayments and underpayments) under statutory, contractual, administrative, or other legally applicable requirements. It
includes any payment to an ineligible recipient, any payment for an ineligible good or service, any duplicate payment, any
payment for a good or service not received (except for such payments where authorized by law), and any payment that does
not account for credit for applicable discounts. See 31 U.S.C. § 3351(4). PIIA also provides that when an executive agency’s
review is unable to discern whether a payment was proper as a result of insufficient or lack of documentation, this payment
must also be included in the improper payment estimate. 31 U.S.C. § 3352(c)(2).
53PIIA, codified at 31 U.S.C. §§ 3351-58.
54ForPIIA purposes, executive agency means a department, an agency, or an instrumentality in the executive branch of the
United States government. 31 U.S.C. § 102.
55See 31 U.S.C. § 3352.
56An official U.S. government website managed by Office of Management and Budget (OMB), www.PaymentAccuracy.gov
contains, among other things, information about current and historical rates and amounts of estimated improper payments.
245 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
billion); 57 HHS’s Medicaid ($50.3 billion); and Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance –
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance ($43.6 billion).
The fiscal year 2023 government-wide total of reported estimated improper payments, among programs
and activities that reported estimates, decreased by about $11 billion from the fiscal year 2022
estimated total of about $247 billion. The specific programs and activities included in the government-
wide total of reported improper payment estimates may change from year to year. While increases in
estimated improper payments were reported for several programs and activities, these were more than
offset by decreases for certain other programs and activities. For example, HHS reported a decrease of
about $30 billion in estimated improper payments for Medicaid in fiscal year 2023. According to HHS,
this decrease was due to (1) certain flexibilities afforded to states during the COVID-19 pandemic, such
as postponed eligibility determinations and reduced requirements around provider enrollment or
revalidations, and (2) improved state compliance with Medicaid requirements.
The $236 billion of reported improper payment estimates for fiscal year 2023 does not include
estimates of certain risk-susceptible programs. For example, HHS’s Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families program did not have an estimate of improper payments for fiscal year 2023.
While all fraudulent payments are considered improper, not all improper payments are due to fraud. 58
Also, the improper payment estimation process is not designed to detect or measure the amount of
fraud that may exist. For example, improper payment estimates may not fully incorporate fraud that
involves sophisticated fraud schemes, collusion, document falsification, or false statements (e.g.,
especially where an agency relies on an applicant’s self-certification for eligibility of payments).
Although challenging to develop, specific estimates of fraud in a program can provide valuable
information for improving fraud risk management. PIIA includes certain requirements related to fraud
risk management. 59
If an agency’s inspector general determines that the entity is not in compliance with certain criteria
listed in PIIA, such as maintaining an estimated improper payment rate of less than 10 percent for all
risk-susceptible programs and activities, that agency must submit a plan to Congress describing the
actions it will take to come into compliance. For fiscal year 2023, agencies reported estimated improper
payment rates of 10 percent or greater for 16 risk-susceptible programs and activities, 60 which
collectively account for about 46 percent of the government-wide total of reported estimated improper
payments. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reported that 25 percent of
agencies were not in compliance with PIIA criteria for fiscal year 2022, the latest year for the inspector
general compliance reports.
57The Medicare program consists of the Fee-For-Service, Part C, and Part D programs.
58GAO, Improper Payments and Fraud: How They Are Related but Different, GAO-24-106608 (Washington, D.C.: Dec. 7,
2023).
59See 31 U.S.C. § 3357.
60The improper payment rate reflects the estimated improper payments as a percentage of total annual outlays.
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT 246
Further, agency auditors continued to report internal control deficiencies over financial reporting in their
fiscal year 2023 financial statement audit reports, such as financial system limitations and information
system control weaknesses. Such deficiencies could significantly increase the risk that improper
payments may occur and not be detected promptly.
The fiscal year 2023 President’s Budget included program integrity proposals at multiple agencies
aimed at reducing improper payments. 61 Also, efforts continue to implement PIIA requirements to better
identify and prevent improper payments, waste, fraud, and abuse, as well as to recover overpayments.
In addition, the statutory Do Not Pay initiative under PIIA requires agencies to review prepayment and
pre-award procedures and ensure a thorough review of available databases to determine program or
award eligibility before the release of any federal funds. PIIA also directs OMB to annually identify a list
of high-priority federal programs for greater levels of oversight and review and requires each agency
responsible for administering one of these high-priority programs to submit a program report to its
inspector general annually and make the report available to the public. 62
Until the federal government has implemented effective processes to determine the full extent to which
improper payments occur and has taken appropriate actions across agencies, programs, and activities
to effectively reduce improper payments, it will not have reasonable assurance that the use of federal
funds is adequately safeguarded.
Thirteen of the 24 agencies covered by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 reported material
weaknesses or significant deficiencies in information system controls. Specifically, auditors identified
control deficiencies related to (1) security management; (2) access to computer data, equipment, and
facilities; (3) changes to and configuration of information system resources; (4) segregation of
incompatible duties; and (5) contingency planning.
Most of the significant component entities that reported information system controls as a material
weakness or significant deficiency for fiscal year 2023 identified weaknesses related to security
management, access controls, configuration management, or combinations thereof. Security
management is the foundation of a security-control structure and reflects senior management’s
commitment to addressing security risks. Security management programs should provide a framework
and continuous cycle of activity for managing risk, developing and implementing effective security
policies, assigning responsibilities, and monitoring the adequacy of the entity’s information system
controls. Without a well-designed security management program, information system controls may be
61Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2023 (Washington, D.C.: Mar. 28,
2022).
62OMB has designated high-priority programs as those programs and activities with improper payment monetary loss (also
known as overpayments) estimates that exceed $100 million annually.
63Wehave also designated information security as a government-wide high-risk area since 1997. For more information, see
GAO, High-Risk Series: Efforts Made to Achieve Progress Need to Be Maintained and Expanded to Fully Address All Areas,
GAO-23-106203 (Washington, D.C.: Apr. 20, 2023).
247 U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
The emergence of increasingly sophisticated threats and the frequency of incidents underscores the
continuing and urgent need for effective information system controls. 64 In May 2023, OMB stated that
federal agencies reported 30,659 information security incidents 65 to the Department of Homeland
Security in fiscal year 2022. 66 In addition, OMB reported three major incidents, all involving personally
identifiable information, at the Departments of Agriculture, Education, and the Treasury. In March and
July 2023, the White House issued its National Cybersecurity Strategy and accompanying
implementation plan, respectively, to describe the administration’s plan for addressing the nation’s long-
standing cybersecurity challenges—including those pertaining to updating federal incident response
plans and processes. 67
Until federal entities strengthen security management programs and resolve reported information
system control deficiencies, the federal government will continue to be at increased risk of inadvertent
or deliberate misuse of federal assets, unauthorized modification or destruction of financial information,
inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information, and disruption of critical operations.
64See,for example, GAO, Cybersecurity: Federal Agencies Made Progress, but Need to Fully Implement Incident Response
Requirements, GAO-24-105658 (Washington, D.C.: Dec. 4, 2023).
65
A security (or cyber) incident is a security breach of an information system and information.
66Office
of Management and Budget, Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 Annual Report Fiscal Year 2022
(Washington, D.C.: May 1, 2023).
67The White House, National Cybersecurity Strategy (Washington, D.C.: March 2023), and National Cybersecurity Strategy
Appendix IV
Significant Deficiencies
In addition to the material weaknesses discussed in appendixes II and III, we found three significant
deficiencies in the federal government’s internal control related to maintaining effective internal controls
at certain federal entities, as described below.
Taxes Receivable
During fiscal year 2023, a significant deficiency continued to affect the federal government’s ability to
manage its taxes receivable effectively. While the Department of the Treasury’s Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) made necessary and appropriate adjustments derived from a statistical estimation
process to correct its financial statements, IRS’s underlying records did not always reflect the correct
amount of taxes owed to the federal government because of financial system limitations and other
control deficiencies that led to errors in taxpayers’ accounts. Such inaccurate tax records impair
management’s ability to effectively manage taxes receivable throughout the year and place an undue
burden on taxpayers, who may be compelled to respond to IRS inquiries caused by errors in taxpayer
accounts.
In fiscal year 2023, several federal entities’ auditors continued to identify internal control deficiencies
related to grants management. 68 Reported deficiencies primarily related to accounting for grants,
monitoring of grant activities, and estimating grant accruals. These internal control deficiencies could
adversely affect the federal government’s ability to provide reliable financial statements as well as
reasonable assurance that grants are awarded properly, recipients are eligible, and federal grant funds
are used as intended.
In fiscal year 2023, auditors for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) continued to
identify internal control deficiencies in certain controls related to the sufficiency of the review of
methodologies and related calculations and estimates that HHS used to prepare its Statement of Social
Insurance for the Medicare program. Specifically, HHS’s auditor identified formula errors in certain
spreadsheets used to prepare the Statement of Social Insurance that HHS’s monitoring and review
function did not detect. Such control deficiencies could result in misstatements to the Statement of
Social Insurance.
68Keyentities contributing to the significant deficiency for federal grants management include the Small Business
Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, and Department of Housing and Urban Development.