Discretionary and Mandatory Federal Spending Mandatory spending includes programs authorized by law (also called entitlements) such as Social Security, Medicare, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Mandatory programs do not go through the normal Congressional appropriations process and have been growing. Discretionary programs are authorized each year by the appropriations process of Congress and include national defense, transportation, environment, and education spending. Discretionary spending has been steadily declining as a percent of the budget.
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