One portion of US federal budget spending is mandatory, including Social Security and Medicare, and is already fixed by law. The other portion is discretionary, and includes things like defense and road building, where the government decides where to spend money. ¿Which portion is bigger?

1. How accurate was your prediction?

2. What most surprised you about this information?

3. List three examples of items that fall under the category of discretionary spending:

4. What are the two biggest expenses of mandatory spending?

5. What questions do you have about this chart?

6. Every year, the mandatory spending portion of the budget increases. Why do you think that is?

7. What is a consequence of this annual increase in mandatory spending?

8. How do you imagine this impacts the power and popularity of elected members of the US government?

9. In the comments section below, express your opinion about the U.S. federal budget:

Action Extension

Contact the President of the United States of America and share your opinion about the 2015 federal budget.

Learning Extension

Learn more about the specifics of the 2015 US budget.