Outlays is actual spending in the year the spending takes place. Timing shifts I presume means correcting for accounting gimmicks that move spending back and forth over the boundary between fiscal years to make the numbers look better.
Without doubt, 'non-defense' includes some junk like the mohair subsidy, but 'increase' means not the base amount, but the extent to which it grew after adjusting for inflation.
Bottom line is it's Democratic congresses that cause non-defense spending, not who is in the WH, even if the WH is Democratic.
mbs
Max,
Interesting. What does it mean?
Could you translate "Growth of Non-defense Appropriations by Presidency; Average annual percent change in real outlays, adjusted for timing shifts"?
What exactly did Ford in his truncated presidency that elevates him to the top? In fact, what did these Republican Presidents actually do with these non-defense appropriations? Sam Donaldson's sheep farm subsidies certainly boosts Bush's spending.
Dennis Breslin