Department of the Interior

At a Glance

The Department of the Interior oversees more than 500 million acres of land through the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. The department also houses the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Reclamation, which distributes subsidized irrigation water in 17 western states.

Interior will spend a net $12 billion in fiscal 2019, or about $95 for every U.S. household. The department employs about 66,000 workers and operates 290 subsidy programs.

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Explore a historical timeline of the Department of the Interior, showing how land, resource, and environmental policies have developed through key acts and reorganizations.

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Dept. of the Interior Static Graph — This chart was generated using our interactive charting tool, which visualizes data from the federal spending database released by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Study

Cutting the Bureau of Reclamation and Reforming Water Markets

By Chris Edwards and Peter J. Hill

The bureau operates dams and other water infrastructure in the western states. Its large subsidies for irrigation water combined with restrictions on water transfers are contributing to a growing water crisis in many areas.

Study

Reforming Federal Land Management

By Chris Edwards and Randal O’Toole

The federal government owns a vast amount of land that would be better managed if privatized, given to state governments, or transferred to stand-alone trust organizations.

Study

Indian Lands, Indian Subsidies, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs

By Chris Edwards

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has a long and troubled history, and it has been one of the most scandal-prone federal agencies. The path to prosperity for Indians on reservations is through greater independence and improved governance, not through subsidies and top-down regulations.

The federal government is running huge budget deficits, spending too much, and heading toward a financial crisis. Without a change of direction in Washington, average working families will be faced with large tax increases and a lower standard of living. This project is designed to help policymakers and the public understand where federal spending goes and how to reform each government department. It describes the failings of agencies and identifies specific programs to cut. It also discusses the systematic reasons why government programs are often obsolete, mismanaged, or otherwise dysfunctional.

Please contact Chris Edwards at cedwards@cato.org with questions or comments.

Information on the data sources for our charts.

Department of the Interior

Timeline: Department of the Interior

Department of the Interior Spending

Featured Content

Cutting the Bureau of Reclamation and Reforming Water Markets

Reforming Federal Land Management

Indian Lands, Indian Subsidies, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs

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