re: Its days like this where I feel do we need this much military?

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chRxis

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I'm well aware of what non-discretionary spending is, so no need for the cut and paste job.

I simply want the answer of whether or not it increased under Obama, and why it was left out of the argument about increased spending between Obama and Trump.

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I simply want the answer of whether or not it increased under Obama, and why it was left out of the argument about increased spending between Obama and Trump.

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it's irrelevant to the point.... again, mandatory spending is NOT at the behest of the president, so regardless of who's there, its NOT their fault for the increase... Trump would be included in that, so settle down...

it's Congress.... and last time i checked, thats a majority of Republicans right now, correct?

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Military spending is about 1/6th our budget.

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The other 5/6 is what needs to be cut.

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chRxis

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Now post a graphic of Social Security/ Unemployment & Medicare and tell me where you want to make cuts.

Then we can talk.

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Now post a graphic of Social Security/ Unemployment & Medicare and tell me where you want to make cuts.

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hey, look, i'm not sitting here saying that the military is the ONLY place we are fricking up... there's a lot fiscally irresponsible spending across the board, chief...

but the TOPIC of the thread was military and military spending, therefore, i'm discussing that.... if you wanna make another thread to talk about those others sectors, i'll be obliged to talk about that there...

until then, i'll stay on topic....

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However you seem to be under the impression that the president decides on discretionary, and Congress non-discretionary. Congress is over both.

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the president has a say in discretionary... he doesn't in mandatory... THAT'S the point...

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Obamacare. Discretionary or non-discretionary?

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first off, i'm not a big fan, and i've already stated i'm for single payer, but:

Why It Keeps Growing
Congress has a difficult time reducing the benefits entitled under any mandated program. Most consider it political suicide because such cuts guarantee voter opposition by the group receiving fewer benefits. That's one reason mandatory spending continues to grow.

Another reason is the aging of America. As more people require Social Security and Medicare, costs for these two programs will almost double in the next 10 years.

This contributes to higher health care spending. In addition, technological breakthroughs allow more diseases to be treated. This comes at a higher cost. This is one reason President Obama asked for health care reform.

Many people don't realize that the real benefit of the Affordable Care Act is lower costs. First, it pays for preventive care, treating Medicare and Medicaid recipients before they require expensive emergency room treatment. Second, it rewards doctors based on treatment outcomes, as opposed to paying them for each test and procedure. Third, it's helped move medical records onto an electronic database. That allows patients to take more ownership of their health care. It also gives doctors current data on the most effective treatments.

It's difficult for any elected official in Congress to vote for a reduction in these benefits. Who can vote for cutting off the income of Grandma, the blind or a veteran? In addition, many of these groups now have powerful lobbyists, like AARP, who can sway elections and funding. It's easy, and politically rewarding, to mandate new programs. It’s political suicide to eliminate them.

A good example of this is health care reform. It was passed in 2010 but at great political cost. Many of the Congressmen who voted for it lost their seat in the mid-term elections to candidates from the Tea Party. This is despite its promise to actually reduce the mandatory budget by cutting health care costs, and charging the health care industry more for Medicare and Medicaid. For more, see Health Care and the Budget.

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The president most certainly has a say in non-discretionary.

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being most of the programs are indefinite, he kind of doesn't...

Congress can only reduce the funding for these programs by changing the authorization law itself. That requires a 60-vote majority in the Senate to pass. For example, Congress amended the Social Security Act to create Medicare. For this reason, mandatory programs are outside the annual budget process that governs discretionary spending. Since it is so difficult to change mandatory spending, it is not part of discretionary fiscal policy.

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And Congress can ignore it just like they can with discretionary.

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true, and i've already posted something explaining why they normally don't...

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Again, Obamacare.

Discretionary, or non-discretionary?

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i would think it would be considered non-defense discretionary....

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would think it would be considered non-defense discretionary....

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And the part of Obamacare that expanded Medicaid?

ETA: Do you see where I'm going with this? To make the argument that Obama spent far less money than Trump, but then only count discretionary spending and completely ignore the massive expansion of Medicaid under the ACA is disingenuous to the extreme.

Which is the entire reason I called out that auburn dude on his hyperventilating hyperbole.

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the part that individual STATES institute? that's not a federal mandate...

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But it was 100% federally funded during Obama's term. It didn't start decreasing until last year where it moved to 95% federal funding. Which is still an absolutely absurd amount of money, and again is completely disingenuous to leave out when discussing spending levels between Obama and Trump.

And your second point is irrelevant to the topic at hand.

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ETA: Which is why even arguing "Obama spent less money than Trump!" is a stupid argument to begin with. Congress spent the money, not the President. 

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Well, we have a Republican president and Congress now and they have put the debt and deficit on the worst trajectory in decades, possibly since WWII.

My real argument here is simple and it isn't really even debatable if you are using facts and not misleading talking points.

Democrats are more fiscally responsible than Republicans by a wide margin. The GOP took full control when the country elected that moron and the trajectory of the debt and deficit have skyrocketed due to the massive spending increases and tax cuts put forth by Congress signed by the chief moron.