SOURCE: Data from the Congressional Budget Office, The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 to 2022, January 2012; and the Office of Management and Budget, The Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2013, February 2012. Compiled by PGPF.
NOTE: The gap between historical and projected discretionary spending in FY 2011 is due to a reclassification of surface transportation outlays from discretionary to mandatory in the President's 2013 budget.
Both the adjusted baseline (which reflects a continuation of current policy) and the proposals in the President’s budget would bring discretionary spending far below its 30-year average. Under the budget, discretionary spending would fall to 5 percent of GDP in 2022. Of this amount, 1.7 percent of GDP would be devoted to non-defense discretionary spending (which includes programs that can help buttress future growth, such as education and research and development) and 3.4 percent would be devoted to defense. Many experts have questioned whether policymakers will allow discretionary spending to fall so far below its historical averages.
This chart appeared as a part of PGPF's analysis of the February 2012 report by the Office of Management and Budget, The Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2013. To read the full report, click here.
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Peter G. Peterson Foundation Chart Pack:
The PGPF chart pack illustrates that budget-making involves many competing priorities, limited resources, and complex issues. In this set of charts, we aim to frame the financial condition and fiscal outlook of the U.S. government within a broad economic, political, and demographic context. Download (.PDF)