The Democratic Socialists of America are advocating a sweeping expansion of federal spending that could exceed $200 trillion over the next decade, according to a new report examining proposals ranging from reparations to a Green New Deal.
The agenda backed by the left-wing group — which has seen several prominent electoral wins over the past year, from congressional races to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — would push federal outlays to 57% of GDP under a lower-bound estimate from the libertarian Cato Institute.
By comparison, the US government spent about 33.8% of GDP in 2025.
DSA has argued that its expansive social programs could be financed through “aggressive wealth taxes on the richest individuals and corporations.” But the Cato report contends that higher taxes on the wealthy would cover only a limited share of the overall cost.
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“The DSA is selling people a bigger government and saying someone else will pay for it. It’s mathematically impossible,” said Adam N. Michel, the report’s author.
Among the priciest items DSA intends to pursue are universal health care, which would cost between $39.9 trillion and $75.4 trillion over the next decade; slavery reparations ($13.5 trillion to $28 trillion); and a federal jobs guarantee ($4.4 trillion to $60.4 trillion).
At the high end, government spending would reach an eye-popping 92% of GDP, according to the institute.
“It is hard to comprehend. It is closer to Soviet-style communism than European welfare states,” Michel said.