LoginIs the majority of federal government spending mandatory?
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Yes.
About 60% of federal spending is mandatory β appropriations are automatic.
About 27% is discretionary spending, and about 13% pays federal debt interest.
On mandatory spending, more than half is for Medicare and Social Security.Β
About 69 million people receive monthly Social Security retirement or disability payments. About 68 million get Medicare, which is health insurance for people 65 and older, and some people under 65 with certain conditions.
Discretionary spending requires annual approvals by Congress and the president. About half is for defense.Β The rest goes to programs such as transportation, education and housing.
Projected total federal spending in fiscal 2025 is $7 trillion, up about 58% from $4.45 trillion in fiscal 2019.
President Donald Trump pledged March 4 to balance the budget βin the near future.β But the federal debt is projected to grow about $2 trillion annually through 2035.
On March 12, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., said most federal government spending is mandatory.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- U.S. Treasury Department: How much has the U.S. government spent this year? (March 17, 2025)
- USA Facts: How much of the federal budget is mandatory spending?
- Axios: Behind the Curtain: Hard truths about Trump budget cuts
- Congressional Budget Office: Mandatory Spending in Fiscal Year 2023: An Infographic
- Social Security Administration: Fact Sheet
- Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services: Medicare Monthly Enrollment
- Medicare.gov: Parts of Medicare
- U.S. Treasury Department: How much has the U.S. government spent this year?
- Congressional Budget Office: Discretionary Spending in Fiscal Year 2023: An Infographic
- U.S. Treasury Department: Treasury Bulletin December 2024
- Vicki McKenna Show: Glenn Grothman interview, March 12, 2025
- Congressional Budget Office: The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2025 to 2035
- Axios: U.S. federal deficit soars to record $3.1 trillion in 2020
- New York Times: Full Transcript of President Trumpβs Speech to Congress
- Reason: Trump Promised a Balanced Budget. Don't Believe It.
Is the majority of federal government spending mandatory? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.
