Ultimate Infographic: U.S. Budget Calendar, Shutdown Timeline, & Economic Impact

 

Federal Budget & Shutdown Overview

1. Annual Budget Breakdown (FY 2023 Visualization)

• Total spending: ~$6.1T (~22.7% of GDP), with major categories—Mandatory (Social Security, Medicare), Discretionary (Defense), Interest investopedia.com+11commons.wikimedia.org+11govexec.com+11usa.gov.

• Revenues: ~$4.4T (~16.5% of GDP). Deficit: ~6.2% of GDP .

2. Official Budget Timeline

• Feb: President submits budget ✓

• Apr: Congress sets budget resolution/deadline ✓

• Jun 30: Appropriations due

• Oct 1: Fiscal year begins commons.wikimedia.org+15marion-square.com+15budget.house.gov+15investopedia.com+5budget.house.gov+5en.wikipedia.org+5

3. Routine Delays & Shift to CRs

• Only 4 of last 40 FY budgets passed on time; most years resort to Continuing Resolutions marion-square.com+1investopedia.com+1.

• Shutdowns occur when funding gaps remain. The longest: 35 days in 2018–2019 budget.house.gov+5en.wikipedia.org+5reuters.com+5.

4. Economic & Social Costs of Shutdowns

• 2018–19 (35-day): $11B lost, including ~$3B permanent damage time.com+1conference-board.org+1.

• Weekly GDP drag: 0.1–0.3 pp ($3B/week) en.wikipedia.org.

• ~800k federal employees furloughed or unpaid cbpp.org+14en.wikipedia.org+14en.wikipedia.org+14.

• National parks, state economies, air travel, and data reporting disrupted en.wikipedia.org+5en.wikipedia.org+5wsj.com+5.

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✨ Infographic Impact Summary

This infographic set captures:

• Structure: Budget vs. revenue and deficit scale

• Timeline failure: How and why shutdowns happen

• Consequences: Economic disruption, lost pay, and social harm

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✅ What This Reveals

• Chronic failure in passing timely budgets contributes to:

  • Repeat shutdowns

  • Government dysfunction and lowered public trust

  • Political bargaining hampering essential services

• Budget instability harms:

  • Workers (furloughs)

  • The economy (GDP losses)

  • Public services and community trust

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🧭 Suggested Solutions

• Enforceable Budget Deadlines
  Tie passing the budget by Oct 1 to constitutional/time-based penalties for Congress/President.

• Automatic Funding Mechanisms
  Gradual funding triggers applied in absence of finalized budget.

• Worker Protections
  Guarantee back-pay, interest, and compensation for lost wages due to shutdowns.

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