Where the Tax Dollars Went: A Starter Guide to USAspending
USAspending.gov lists federal awards: contracts, grants, and loans. Open the award. The total can include later changes.
NU commentary. This is an NU original guide to a public spending site. It is not an audit of any agency or recipient.
AI-assisted. Drafted with AI assistance. The award page is the record. Disclosure and law references.
What the site tracks
USAspending.gov tracks federal awards: contracts, grants, and loans.
How to start
Search by recipient or by agency. Open the award record. Read the amount, the dates, and the description on that page, not a screenshot of a search total.
Read the history
Totals can include modifications. A modification is a later change to the award. Read the history before you repeat a single number. For a large award, cross-check the award page against the contract itself or the agency's notice.
The same habit, applied to a tax-exempt group's own spending, is Reading a Form 990.
Not a financial audit. Award descriptions are what the agency posted. They can be thin. The dollar history is the part to check.