How did the United States change between and ?
Pick two dates. See the laws, the executive orders, the courts, Congress, federal agencies, the Constitution and the budget, as a diff.
$ civicdiff 2017-01-02..2015-01-03 # the same day
json 21 files changed, 86 insertions(+), 86 deletions(−)Laws enacted
00 notable
Executive orders
0signed
Final rules
00 significant
Supreme Court
1 of 9seats changed hands
Agencies
+0 −0departments & tracked agencies
Public debt
−$1.90T$20.0T → $18.1T
Barack Hussein Obama was president on both dates. 13 senators and 65 representatives took seats that they did not hold before. 1 new justice joined the Supreme Court. Inflation-adjusted federal spending changed −5.0% (FY2017 → FY2015).
Executive7 files+7−7
executive/presidentThe presidency
Barack Hussein Obama D
44th president · in office on both dates
executive/vice-presidentThe vice presidency
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. D
in office on both dates
executive/cabinetCabinet & senior officials
+7−7Wikidata ↗
Secretary of Defense
Attorney General
Postmaster General
Secretary of Education
Other senior officials (3 changed)
Postmaster General
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Solicitor General
Ian Heath Gershengorn (acting)
25 offices unchanged
Secretary of State: John Kerry D
Secretary of the Treasury: Jack Lew D
Secretary of the Navy: Ray Mabus D
Secretary of the Interior: Sally Jewell D
Secretary of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack D
Secretary of Commerce: Penny Pritzker D
Secretary of Labor: Thomas Perez D
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Sylvia Burwell D
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Julián Castro D
Secretary of Transportation: Anthony Foxx D
Secretary of Energy: Ernest Moniz D
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Robert A. McDonald R
Secretary of Homeland Security: Jeh C. Johnson D
White House Chief of Staff: Denis McDonough D
Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Shaun Donovan D
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Gina McCarthy D
Ambassador to the United Nations: Samantha Power D
Director of National Intelligence: James R. Clapper I
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency: John Owen Brennan
Administrator of the Small Business Administration: Maria Contreras-Sweet D
U.S. Trade Representative: Michael Froman D
Secretary of the Navy: Ray Mabus D
Chair of the Federal Reserve: Janet Yellen D
Director of the FBI: James Comey R
National Security Advisor: Susan Rice D
executive/ordersExecutive orders
0 executive orders signed
732 → 681 orders (issued since 1994) in force · 0 revoked in this window
executive/nominationsSenate confirmations
0 civilian nominations received · 0 confirmed · 0 withdrawn · 0 returned to the President
Civilian nominations only (military promotions excluded). Top confirmations are cabinet-level posts, Supreme Court justices, and the Fed chair.
executive/agenciesFederal agencies
427 → 423 tracked organizations · 16 → 16 executive departments
No agencies created or abolished in this window.
Agency start and end dates come from Wikidata, which covers smaller bureaus unevenly.
executive/regulationsFederal regulations
0 final rules published in the Federal Register
from Jan 2, 2017
0 of them flagged "significant" under EO 12866
major economic or policy impact
0 proposed rules · 0 notices
Loading which agencies published the most rules…
Final rules carry the force of law. Rescissions count as rules too, so this measures regulatory activity, not net growth.
Military3 files−3
military/conflictsArmed conflicts
U.S. in 7 armed conflicts → 4
Afghanistan: Islamic State
ended Aug 30, 2021 · U.S. troops fighting alongside the government · against IS
Libya: Islamic State
ended Sep 29, 2019 · U.S. troops fighting alongside the government · against IS
Niger: Islamic State
U.S. combat role recorded through 2022 · U.S. troops fighting alongside the government · against IS
4 conflicts active on both dates
War against al-Qaida
since Sep 11, 2001 · U.S. a principal party · against al-Qaida
War in Afghanistan (Taliban insurgency)
since 2003 · U.S. troops fighting alongside the government · against the Taliban
Iraq: insurgency and war against IS
since Aug 8, 2014 · U.S. troops fighting alongside the government · against IS
Somalia: al-Shabaab
since 2015 · U.S. troops fighting alongside the government · against Al-Shabaab
An armed conflict here means at least 25 battle deaths in a year, with U.S. forces as a party or fighting for a government (UCDP's definition). Air strikes, raids, and advisory missions below that threshold aren't included. UN peacekeeping missions are excluded.
military/troopsU.S. troops abroad
+31,036 troops abroadDMDC via troopdata (Allen, Flynn & Martinez Machain) ↗
171,130 → 202,166 active-duty troops stationed abroad · 1,176,762 → 1,331,686 total active duty
16 → 17 countries with 1,000 or more U.S. troops
as of Dec 31, 2016 → as of Dec 31, 2014
Japan 39,345 → 53,938
+14,593
South Korea 23,468 → 29,021
+5,553
Kuwait 6,296 → 10,991
+4,695
Iraq 5,540 → 1,484
−4,056
Qatar 2,976 → 5,781
+2,805
Guam 3,831 → 6,025
+2,194
Germany 34,805 → 36,718
+1,913
United Arab Emirates 1,079 → 2,705
+1,626
Afghanistan 9,294 → 10,189
+895
Turkey 2,234 → 1,584
−650
Italy 12,102 → 11,467
−635
Puerto Rico 145 → 664
+519
Largest U.S. deployments as of Dec 31, 2014
Japan 53,938
Germany 36,718
South Korea 29,021
Italy 11,467
Kuwait 10,991
Afghanistan 10,189
United Kingdom 8,836
Guam 6,025
Active-duty personnel assigned to each country in the Defense Department's location reports, which leave out most combat deployments, forces afloat, and short rotations: Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan during their wars are press or Pentagon estimates, and Iraq and Syria read zero after 2023 although a few thousand troops remained. Each date shows the latest report on or before it.
military/spendingCost of war
Lifetime cost of wars fought in this window · constant FY2011 dollars (CRS)
War in Afghanistan (Taliban insurgency) $321B
0.7% of GDP in its peak year · 2001–2021
Operation spending is what the Defense Department obligated to each named operation in each fiscal year, from its Cost of War reports; it excludes State Department and USAID programs, veterans' care, interest, and base budgets. Lifetime costs are the Congressional Research Service's estimates of direct military spending for each war, in FY2011 dollars.
Legislative4 files+78−76
legislative/controlControl of Congress
114
Top: House · Bottom: Senate DemocraticRepublican
114th Congress → 114th Congress · 0 new Congresses elected
0 changes of chamber control along the way
House: Republican majority on both dates
246 R · 187 D → 234 R · 201 D
Senate: Democrat majority on both dates
54 R · 46 D → 55 D · 45 R
legislative/senateSenate
+13−13congress-legislators ↗
13 new members · 13 departed · 87 served on both dates · women 20 → 20 · median age 63 → 64
9 seats changed party
Dan Sullivan R
Alaska
Mark Begich D
Alaska
Thom Tillis R
North Carolina
Kay R. Hagan D
North Carolina
Joni Ernst R
Iowa
Tom Harkin D
Iowa
Mike Rounds R
South Dakota
Tim Johnson D
South Dakota
Show 5 more seat flips
Bill Cassidy R
Louisiana
Mary L. Landrieu D
Louisiana
Tom Cotton R
Arkansas
Mark L. Pryor D
Arkansas
Shelley Moore Capito R
West Virginia
John D. Rockefeller, IV D
West Virginia
Cory Gardner R
Colorado
Mark Udall D
Colorado
Steve Daines R
Montana
John E. Walsh D
Montana
Who joined and who left (13 in · 13 out)
Mark Begich D
Alaska
Mark L. Pryor D
Arkansas
Mark Udall D
Colorado
Saxby Chambliss R
Georgia
Tom Harkin D
Iowa
Mary L. Landrieu D
Louisiana
Carl Levin D
Michigan
John E. Walsh D
Montana
Kay R. Hagan D
North Carolina
Mike Johanns R
Nebraska
Tom Coburn R
Oklahoma
Tim Johnson D
South Dakota
John D. Rockefeller, IV D
West Virginia
Dan Sullivan R
Alaska
Tom Cotton R
Arkansas
Cory Gardner R
Colorado
David Perdue R
Georgia
Joni Ernst R
Iowa
Bill Cassidy R
Louisiana
Gary C. Peters D
Michigan
Steve Daines R
Montana
Thom Tillis R
North Carolina
Ben Sasse R
Nebraska
James Lankford R
Oklahoma
Mike Rounds R
South Dakota
Shelley Moore Capito R
West Virginia
legislative/houseHouse
+65−63congress-legislators ↗
65 new members · 63 departed · 370 served on both dates · women 83 → 80 · median age 60 → 59
15 state delegations changed
Show delegation changes
Arizona 4 D · 5 R
Arizona 5 D · 4 R
California 38 D · 14 R
California 38 D · 15 R
Georgia 4 D · 10 R
Georgia 5 D · 9 R
Iowa 1 D · 3 R
Iowa 2 D · 2 R
Illinois 10 D · 8 R
Illinois 12 D · 6 R
Maine 1 D · 1 R
Maine 2 D · 0 R
Michigan 5 D · 8 R
Michigan 5 D · 9 R
North Carolina 3 D · 10 R
North Carolina 4 D · 9 R
Nebraska 1 D · 2 R
Nebraska 0 D · 3 R
New Hampshire 1 D · 1 R
New Hampshire 2 D · 0 R
Nevada 1 D · 3 R
Nevada 2 D · 2 R
New York 18 D · 9 R
New York 21 D · 6 R
Texas 11 D · 25 R
Texas 12 D · 24 R
Utah 0 D · 4 R
Utah 1 D · 3 R
West Virginia 0 D · 3 R
West Virginia 1 D · 2 R
Who joined and who left (65 in · 63 out)
Spencer Bachus R
Alabama-6
Tim Griffin R
Arkansas-2
Tom Cotton R
Arkansas-4
Ed Pastor D
Arizona-7
Ron Barber D
Arizona-2
John Campbell R
California-45
Howard P. "Buck" McKeon R
California-25
Gary G. Miller R
California-31
George Miller D
California-11
Henry A. Waxman D
California-33
Gloria Negrete McLeod D
California-35
Janice Hahn D
California-44
Cory Gardner R
Colorado-4
Steve Southerland II R
Florida-2
Joe Garcia D
Florida-26
John Barrow D
Georgia-12
Paul C. Broun R
Georgia-10
Phil Gingrey R
Georgia-11
Jack Kingston R
Georgia-1
Bruce L. Braley D
Iowa-1
Tom Latham R
Iowa-3
William L. Enyart D
Illinois-12
Aaron Schock R
Illinois-18
Bradley Scott Schneider D
Illinois-10
Ed Whitfield R
Kentucky-1
Bill Cassidy R
Louisiana-6
Vance M. McAllister R
Louisiana-5
John F. Tierney D
Massachusetts-6
Michael H. Michaud D
Maine-2
Dave Camp R
Michigan-4
John D. Dingell D
Michigan-12
Mike Rogers R
Michigan-8
Kerry L. Bentivolio R
Michigan-11
Candice S. Miller R
Michigan-10
Gary C. Peters D
Michigan-14
Michele Bachmann R
Minnesota-6
Alan Nunnelee R
Mississippi-1
Steve Daines R
Montana-AL
Mike McIntyre D
North Carolina-7
Howard Coble R
North Carolina-6
Lee Terry R
Nebraska-2
Carol Shea-Porter D
New Hampshire-1
Rush Holt D
New Jersey-12
Jon Runyan R
New Jersey-3
Steven Horsford D
Nevada-4
Timothy H. Bishop D
New York-1
Carolyn McCarthy D
New York-4
William L. Owens D
New York-21
Daniel B. Maffei D
New York-24
Michael G. Grimm R
New York-11
John A. Boehner R
Ohio-8
James Lankford R
Oklahoma-5
Jim Gerlach R
Pennsylvania-6
Allyson Y. Schwartz D
Pennsylvania-13
Chaka Fattah D
Pennsylvania-2
Ralph M. Hall R
Texas-4
Steve Stockman R
Texas-36
Pete P. Gallego D
Texas-23
Jim Matheson D
Utah-4
James P. Moran D
Virginia-8
Frank R. Wolf R
Virginia-10
Doc Hastings R
Washington-4
Thomas E. Petri R
Wisconsin-6
Nick J. Rahall II D
West Virginia-3
Shelley Moore Capito R
West Virginia-2
Gary J. Palmer R
Alabama-6
J. French Hill R
Arkansas-2
Bruce Westerman R
Arkansas-4
Martha McSally R
Arizona-2
Ruben Gallego D
Arizona-7
Stephen Knight R
California-25
Mimi Walters R
California-45
Mark DeSaulnier D
California-11
Pete Aguilar D
California-31
Ted Lieu D
California-33
Norma J. Torres D
California-35
Ken Buck R
Colorado-4
Gwen Graham D
Florida-2
Carlos Curbelo R
Florida-26
Jody B. Hice R
Georgia-10
Earl L. "Buddy" Carter R
Georgia-1
Barry Loudermilk R
Georgia-11
Rick W. Allen R
Georgia-12
Rod Blum R
Iowa-1
David Young R
Iowa-3
Robert J. Dold R
Illinois-10
Mike Bost R
Illinois-12
Darin LaHood R
Illinois-18
James Comer R
Kentucky-1
Ralph Lee Abraham R
Louisiana-5
Garret Graves R
Louisiana-6
Seth Moulton D
Massachusetts-6
Bruce Poliquin R
Maine-2
Mike Bishop R
Michigan-8
David A. Trott R
Michigan-11
Brenda L. Lawrence D
Michigan-14
John R. Moolenaar R
Michigan-4
Debbie Dingell D
Michigan-12
Tom Emmer R
Minnesota-6
Trent Kelly R
Mississippi-1
Ryan K. Zinke R
Montana-AL
Mark Walker R
North Carolina-6
David Rouzer R
North Carolina-7
Brad Ashford D
Nebraska-2
Frank C. Guinta R
New Hampshire-1
Thomas MacArthur R
New Jersey-3
Bonnie Watson Coleman D
New Jersey-12
Cresent Hardy R
Nevada-4
Lee M. Zeldin R
New York-1
Kathleen M. Rice D
New York-4
John Katko R
New York-24
Elise M. Stefanik R
New York-21
Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. R
New York-11
Warren Davidson R
Ohio-8
Steve Russell R
Oklahoma-5
Ryan A. Costello R
Pennsylvania-6
Brendan F. Boyle D
Pennsylvania-13
Dwight Evans D
Pennsylvania-2
John Ratcliffe R
Texas-4
Will Hurd R
Texas-23
Brian Babin R
Texas-36
Mia B. Love R
Utah-4
Barbara Comstock R
Virginia-10
Donald S. Beyer, Jr. D
Virginia-8
Dan Newhouse R
Washington-4
Glenn Grothman R
Wisconsin-6
Evan H. Jenkins R
West Virginia-3
Alexander X. Mooney R
West Virginia-2
legislative/lawsLaws enacted
0 public laws enacted · 0 landmark · 0 notable · 0 routine · 0 ceremonial
No laws in this window are flagged as notable.
Judicial3 files+1
judicial/supreme-courtThe Supreme Court
Bench by appointing party: 4 R · 4 D → 5 R · 4 D
Antonin Scalia R
appointed by Ronald Reagan · 1986
8 justices served on both dates
Anthony McLeod Kennedy R
appointed by Ronald Reagan · 1988
Clarence Thomas R
appointed by George H.W. Bush · 1991
Ruth Bader Ginsburg D
appointed by William J. Clinton · 1993
Stephen Gerald Breyer D
appointed by William J. Clinton · 1994
John Glover Roberts, Jr. R
appointed by George W. Bush · 2005
Samuel A. Alito, Jr. R
appointed by George W. Bush · 2006
Sonia Sotomayor D
appointed by Barack Obama · 2009
Elena Kagan D
appointed by Barack Obama · 2010
judicial/lower-courtsAppeals & district courts
Courts of appeals (active judges): 90 D · 71 R · 1 N( → 95 D · 76 R · 1 N(
District courts (active judges): 348 D · 242 R → 357 D · 286 R
D and R describe the party of the appointing president, not the judge. Active service ends when a judge takes senior status.
judicial/rulingsSupreme Court decisions
0 argued decisions · 0 landmark
Landmark means the Court overruled precedent, struck down a federal law, or the case is on a curated landmark list.
Fiscal2 files±0
fiscal/budgetThe federal budget
−5.0% real spendingOMB Historical Tables ↗
Fiscal year 2017 → fiscal year 2015 · inflation-adjusted with the GDP price index
Spending $3.98T
FY2017
Spending $3.69T
FY2015 · −7.3% nominal · −5.0% after inflation
Revenue $3.32T
FY2017
Revenue $3.25T
FY2015 · −2.0% nominal · +0.5% after inflation
Surplus / deficit −$665B
FY2017
Surplus / deficit −$442B
FY2015 · +$223B
Spending, % of GDP 20.6%
FY2017
Spending, % of GDP 20.3%
FY2015 · −0.3 pts
Debt held by the public, % of GDP 75.7%
FY2017
Debt held by the public, % of GDP 72.2%
FY2015 · −3.5 pts
Spending by function · real change
fiscal/debtTotal public debt outstanding
−$1.90TTreasury Fiscal Data ↗
$20.0T
as of Dec 30, 2016
$18.1T
as of Jan 2, 2015
Constitution & Union1 file±0
constitution/amendmentsAmendments & statehood
27 → 27 amendments in force · 50 → 50 states
No amendments ratified and no states admitted. The last amendment was the 27th, in 1992.
Log1 file±0
logEverything in between
0 events