FY 2000 Discretionary Budget Request

Military programs and essential domestic spending continue to compete for taxpayers' dollars, and the Pentagon continues to come out on top. Despite pressing domestic needs and the absence of a credible military threat to the United States, military spending is going up.

The Fiscal Year 2000 budget request includes $555 billion for discretionary spending (the money the President and Congress must decide and act to spend each year), $281 billion of which will go to the Pentagon. The "National Defense" category of the federal budget (excluding veterans programs and other military-related spending) continues to account for more than 50 percent of all discretionary spending. The other category of federal spending is mandatory spending, money that is spent in compliance with existing laws which govern the particular program or function. Mandatory spending includes entitlements, money or benefits provided directly to individuals such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Federal Retirement. It also includes interest payments on the national debt.
 
 

Note: Discretionary funding for Social Security and Medicare covers various administrative costs, and is not related to benefits mandated by law.

Prepared by Chris Hellman, Senior Research Analyst, February 1, 1999.
Source: Office of Management and Budget.

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