---
title: ToolRouter — Tool Detail
description: Detailed documentation for a ToolRouter tool including skills, parameters, and examples.
url: https://toolrouter.com/tools/government-spending
---
# Government Spending

Search US federal spending — contracts, grants, and loans across all agencies. Find who received funding, how much, and where. Track spending trends by state, agency, or time period.

- **Version:** 0.01
- **Categories:** data, analytics, finance

## Skills (4)

### Search Awards (`search_awards`)

Search federal contracts, grants, and loans by keyword, agency, recipient, state, or date range. Returns award details including amounts, recipients, agencies, and descriptions.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `keywords` | array | No | Search terms to match against award descriptions (e.g. ["cybersecurity", "AI"]) |
| `agency` | string | No | Filter by awarding agency name (e.g. "Department of Defense", "Department of Energy") |
| `recipient` | string | No | Filter by recipient/contractor name (e.g. "Lockheed Martin", "Deloitte") |
| `award_type` | string | No | Type of federal award to search (contracts, grants, loans, all) [default: "all"] |
| `start_date` | string | No | Start date in YYYY-MM-DD format |
| `end_date` | string | No | End date in YYYY-MM-DD format |
| `state` | string | No | Two-letter US state code to filter by place of performance (e.g. "CA", "TX", "VA") |
| `limit` | number | No | Number of results to return (max 50) [default: 10] |
| `sort_by` | string | No | Sort results by award amount or start date (amount, date) [default: "amount"] |

**Returns:** Federal award records with recipient, amount, agency, dates, and description

**Examples:**

*Search cybersecurity contracts:*

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "cybersecurity"
  ],
  "award_type": "contracts"
}
```

*Find grants to a specific recipient:*

```json
{
  "recipient": "MIT",
  "award_type": "grants",
  "limit": 5
}
```

*Department of Energy contracts in California:*

```json
{
  "agency": "Department of Energy",
  "state": "CA",
  "award_type": "contracts"
}
```

### List Agencies (`list_agencies`)

List all US federal agencies with their budget authority, obligated amounts, and outlays. Useful for identifying the biggest spenders and comparing agency budgets.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `sort_by` | string | No | Sort agencies by name, budget authority, or obligated spending (name, budget, spending) [default: "budget"] |

**Returns:** All federal agencies with budget authority, obligations, and outlay amounts

**Examples:**

*All agencies sorted by budget:*

```json
{}
```

*Agencies sorted by name:*

```json
{
  "sort_by": "name"
}
```

*Agencies ranked by spending:*

```json
{
  "sort_by": "spending"
}
```

### Spending by Geography (`spending_by_geography`)

Break down federal spending by state, county, or congressional district. Shows total amounts, population, and per-capita spending for each region.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `award_type` | string | No | Type of federal award to include (contracts, grants, loans, all) [default: "all"] |
| `start_date` | string | No | Start date in YYYY-MM-DD format (default: start of current fiscal year) |
| `end_date` | string | No | End date in YYYY-MM-DD format (default: end of current fiscal year) |
| `geo_level` | string | No | Geographic granularity: state, county, or congressional district (state, county, district) [default: "state"] |

**Returns:** Federal spending by geographic region with amounts, population, and per-capita figures

**Examples:**

*Contract spending by state:*

```json
{
  "award_type": "contracts",
  "geo_level": "state"
}
```

*Grant spending by county:*

```json
{
  "award_type": "grants",
  "geo_level": "county"
}
```

*All spending by state in FY2025:*

```json
{
  "start_date": "2024-10-01",
  "end_date": "2025-09-30"
}
```

### Spending Over Time (`spending_over_time`)

Track federal spending trends over time by month, quarter, or fiscal year. Shows how spending changes across periods for any award type.

**Parameters:**

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|------|------|----------|-------------|
| `award_type` | string | No | Type of federal award to track (contracts, grants, loans, all) [default: "contracts"] |
| `start_date` | string | No | Start date in YYYY-MM-DD format (default: start of current fiscal year) |
| `end_date` | string | No | End date in YYYY-MM-DD format (default: end of current fiscal year) |
| `group_by` | string | No | Time granularity for aggregation (month, quarter, fiscal_year) [default: "month"] |

**Returns:** Federal spending amounts aggregated by time period with totals

**Examples:**

*Monthly contract spending this fiscal year:*

```json
{
  "award_type": "contracts",
  "group_by": "month"
}
```

*Quarterly grant spending:*

```json
{
  "award_type": "grants",
  "group_by": "quarter"
}
```

*Annual spending over 5 years:*

```json
{
  "award_type": "all",
  "group_by": "fiscal_year",
  "start_date": "2021-10-01",
  "end_date": "2026-09-30"
}
```

## Quick Start

```bash
# Via CLI
TOOLROUTER_API_KEY=tr_live_xxx npx -y toolrouter-mcp call government-spending search_awards --keywords cybersecurity --award_type contracts

# Via REST API
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer tr_live_xxx" \
     -d '{"tool":"government-spending","skill":"search_awards","input":{"keywords":["cybersecurity"],"award_type":"contracts"}}' \
     https://api.toolrouter.com/v1/tools/call
```

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What kinds of federal spending can I search?

The tool covers US federal contracts, grants, and loans. You can search across all award types or narrow the query to just one category depending on the question you are answering.

### How do I find awards for a specific agency, recipient, or state?

Use `search_awards` with agency names, recipient names, keywords, dates, and optional state filters. It is the best starting point when you already know what spending pattern you want to inspect.

### Can it show where money is going and how it changes over time?

Yes. `spending_by_geography` breaks spending down by state, county, or district, while `spending_over_time` shows monthly, quarterly, or fiscal-year trends.

### What happens if I do not pass a date range?

The tool defaults to the current federal fiscal year. That keeps exploratory queries useful without forcing you to enter dates for every lookup.

---

## Get Started with ToolRouter

**Already connected?** Call any tool with `use_tool({ tool, skill, input })`. Browse tools with `discover` or visit https://toolrouter.com/llms-full.txt

**New to ToolRouter?** Connect with one command (no API key needed — auto-provisions on first use):

```bash
# MCP (Claude Code, Codex CLI)
claude mcp add toolrouter -- npx -y toolrouter-mcp

# MCP (Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, VS Code, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop)
{"mcpServers":{"toolrouter":{"command":"npx","args":["-y","toolrouter-mcp"]}}}

# Claude Chat / Claude Cowork / Claude Mobile — add as a connector:
# Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → URL: https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp

# ChatGPT — add as an app:
# Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → enable Developer mode → Create app → MCP Server URL: https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp

# CLI (works instantly, no restart needed)
npx -y toolrouter-mcp tools                    # browse all tools
npx -y toolrouter-mcp search "seo"             # search by keyword
npx -y toolrouter-mcp call seo analyze_page --url https://example.com
```

Free tools work immediately. For paid tools, visit https://toolrouter.com/claim to add credits.

All platforms: https://toolrouter.com/connect | Full catalog: https://toolrouter.com/llms-full.txt | Docs: https://toolrouter.com/docs