Even without the sequester, real per capita government spending (including both purchases and transfer payments) has declined under President Barack Obama, while it increased under every preceding president since Richard Nixon. (Indeed, per capita spending growth was much faster under the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush than it was under Democratic Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.)
即使没有自动减赤，真实人均政府支出（包括采购和转移支付）也在奥巴马执政期间有所下降，而在自尼克松以来的诸位总统任期中，这一指标均是上升的。（事实上，平均支出增长在里根和小布什的共和党政府期间比卡特和克林顿的民主党政府期间增长要快得多。）即使没有自动减赤，联邦预算赤字也会在未来两年中以比二战复员后的任一两年期都快的速度下降。