What is discretionary spending in the federal budget?

Federal Spending | U.S. Treasury Fiscal Data

The federal government spent $6.75 trillion in FY 2022. This means federal spending was equal to 23% of the total gross domestic product (GDP), or economic ...

Much of discretionary spending—about 45 percent in recent years—goes to salaries and benefits for government employees, both military and ...

Discretionary Spending Options | Congressional Budget Office

Discretionary spending—the part of federal spending that lawmakers control through annual appropriation acts—totaled about $1.2 trillion in 2013 ...

What is mandatory and discretionary spending? - Tax Policy Center

Lawmakers can control all spending except the interest due on government debts. However, discretionary spending often gets more scrutiny than mandatory ...

Mandatory and Discretionary Spending - Education Policy: Topics

There are two types of spending in the federal budget process: discretionary and mandatory. Discretionary spending is spending that is subject to the ...

Federal Spending: Where Does the Money Go

The total federal budget of the United States has recently run about $4 trillion or more each year. In 2020, the total federal budget ran much higher, ...

Fast Facts about Discretionary Spending | Cato at Liberty Blog

The federal government will spend $6.3 trillion in 2023, 27 percent is discretionary and 73 percent is mandatory. Discretionary spending ...

How much of the federal budget is discretionary spending? - USAFacts

In 2023, discretionary spending accounted for $1.7 trillion of federal spending.

What to know about Government Spending - EANGUS

In fiscal year 2024, the overall discretionary budget is $1.59 trillion, and the Defense Department portion of that is $842 billion (about 53% ...

Budget Basics: Spending - Peter G. Peterson Foundation

Federal Spending in the federal budget can be divided into three categories: mandatory, discretionary, and interest. Learn how these categories have changed ...

Discretionary Spending in Fiscal Year 2023: An Infographic

Discretionary outlays by the federal government totaled $1.7 trillion in 2023. Outlays for nondefense programs accounted for more than half of that total.

Policy Basics: Introduction to the Federal Budget Process

Spending. Federal spending is classified in two basic categories: mandatory and discretionary. About 61 percent of the federal budget is ...

Discretionary spending - Wikipedia

In American public finance, discretionary spending is government spending implemented through an appropriations bill. This spending is an optional part of ...

Discretionary Spending in 10 Graphs - CRS Reports

Discretionary spending makes up a smaller share of total federal spending than ... budget authority for discretionary spending. When.

The federal budget process | USAGov

Discretionary spending - federal agency funding. Congress sets funding levels for these each year. This usually accounts for around a third of ...

Expenditures in the United States federal budget - Wikipedia

The United States federal budget consists of mandatory expenditures discretionary spending for defense, Cabinet departments (e.g., Justice Department) and ...

Policy Basics: Non-Defense Discretionary Programs

In fiscal year 2023, NDD spending totaled an estimated $919 billion, or 14 percent of federal spending. ... Federal Budget, Budget Outlook, Budget ...

Discretionary vs. Mandatory Spending: What Are They? - Equifax

In the context of the federal government, discretionary and mandatory spending refers to how the U.S. Congress appropriates funds for various programs. Your ...

Federal Budgeting | U.S. GAO - Government Accountability Office

Mandatory spending includes programs like Medicare and Social Security, while discretionary spending supports agency programs and operations including most ...

Definition of Discretionary Spending - Higher Rock Education

Discretionary spending accounts for approximately 30 percent of the federal budget. Mandatory spending comprises nearly two-thirds of the budget. Unlike ...