LC CRS Reports – Tracking Federal Awards in States and Congressional Districts Using USAspending.gov, May 11, 2020: “USAspending.gov, available to the public at https://www.USAspending.gov, is a government source for data on federal awards by state, congressional district (CD), zip code, city, and county. The awards data in USAspending.gov is provided by federal agencies and represents grants, contracts, loans, and other financial assistance. Grant awards include money the federal government commits for projects in states, local jurisdictions, regions, territories, and tribal reservations, as well as payments for eligible needs to help individuals and families. Contract awards refer to bids and agreements the federal government makes for specific goods and services. USAspending.gov does not include data on actual spending by recipients. USAspending.gov also provides tools for examining the broader picture of federal spending obligations within the categories of budget function, agency, and object class.Budget function refers to the major purpose that the spending serves, such as Social Security, Medicare, and national defense. Object class refers to the type of item or service purchased by the federal government, such as grants, contracts, and personnel compensation and benefits. The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred multiple pieces of legislation providing relief to individuals and families, state and local governments, businesses, and healthcare providers. According to an Office of Management and Budget memorandum from April 10, 2020, there are plans to identify COVID-19-related federal awards in USAspending.gov effective for the June 2020 reporting period.”