This chart shows the historical trend of federal grants-in-aid to states from 1940 to 2006 (the figures for the most recent period 2002 to 2006 are estimates). The X-axis represents years: from 1940 to 1990, one unit covers five fiscal years; from 1990 to 2006, one unit covers two fiscal years. The Y-axis represents billions of dollars granted by the national government to states. The line graph shows a significant and constant increase in federal grants throughout the period.