Public spending database
Explore
Start with a question, ranking, issue, or entity—then move across the connected public records and inspect the original sources.
Questions worth exploring
Start With a Pattern
Where Do Tax Dollars Come From and Go?
Compare federal revenue sources with agencies, award types, and recipients.
Explore →Largest Federal Contractors
Organizations with the most recorded trailing-period obligations.
Explore →Organizations Receiving More Than $1B
15 current profiles cross this threshold.
Explore →Most Dependent on One Agency
Compare the largest top-tier agency shares and inspect the underlying federal spending records.
Explore →Active Across the Most Agencies
See which organizations appear across the broadest set of awarding agencies.
Explore →Largest Organization-Linked PACs
Compare contributions and independent expenditures for current tracked committees.
Explore →Policy Issue Hubs
Connect reviewed organizations, awards, agencies, lobbying issues, and political records.
Explore →Government Roots
Trace documented relationships among companies, federal agencies, public research, procurement, and technology origins.
Explore →Most Funded Politicians
731 current members have linked contributions from PACs tracked by Paper Trail.
Explore →Explore Congressional Committees
50 current House, Senate, and Joint committees with member-level connections.
Explore →Workforce & Public Benefits
Reviewed employer-level Medicaid, SNAP, and related estimates with source methodology and limitations.
Explore →People & Revolving Door
216 sourced executive, director, lobbyist, and government-career profiles.
Explore →Organizations
Companies, nonprofits, and institutions connected to public money and influence.
Awards
Federal commitments and procurement records explained in plain English.
Agencies
The departments and offices that direct public money, ranked here by recorded obligations.
Campaign Finance
Organization-linked PACs and the candidates and committees receiving their money.