What does the Education Department do?
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The Department of Education is the smallest cabinet-level agency and also one of the newest (founded in May 1980). Education is primarily a local and state responsibility, with local governments funding elementary and secondary schools and state governments funding much of higher education. Still, the department’s budget makes up 21% of education spending nationwide.
- The Education Department received $268.35 billion in 2024; 4% of the federal budget, the sixth-most among federal agencies.
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- More than half the Education Department's budget, $160.69 billion, was spent on student aid. It spent just over half that much, $82.99 billion, on elementary and secondary schools.
- Federal Pell Grants, which largely support undergraduates, are providing up to $7,395 per recipient this school year. Overall funding averages $30 billion annually.
- Some of the money the department provided for elementary and secondary education in 2023 included more than $18 billion in Title I funding for low-income schools. Another $15 billion went to special education programs.
- Meanwhile, the department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services provides grants for state vocational rehabilitation programs to help adults with disabilities find jobs. These grants average $4 billion annually.
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How has online shopping changed the retail industry?
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Today is Cyber Monday, and while this day of online shopping might not be the "event" that it used to be, that's likely because online shopping has become such a common part of Americans’ lives. Case in point: in 2023, e-commerce hit record highs.
- In 2000, $0.90 of every $100 Americans spent on retail items was spent online. In 2023, that average rose to $15.30.
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- Americans spent $1.1 trillion on online shopping in 2023, comprising a record 15.3% of all retail sales, up from 14.4% in 2022.
- Online retail has grown 220% since 2009, the most growth of any retail subsector.
- Non-store retail, which includes an array of non-brick-and-mortar retailers ranging from vending machines to online sellers, accounted for $1.4 trillion in sales in 2023 — 19% of total retail sales.
- The retail industry overall employed 16.4 million people in 2023, up 7% from a 2010 low after the Great Recession. The most growth was in motor vehicle dealers (up 24%) and building material suppliers (up 23%). Employment in the electronics and appliance retail industries dropped.
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Last Wednesday, the governor of Ohio signed a bill limiting transgender restroom use. Following the recent election of a transgender member to the House of Representatives, another member has introduced a resolution addressing bathroom policies. Here’s how many US adults identify as transgender.
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The United States has the world’s third-largest military but the highest military spending. It spent $820.3 billion on the military in 2023, roughly 13% of that year’s federal budget.
US military spending per person ranks fifth globally, behind the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
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