Sound Priorities, Unsound Budget: Congress Should Keep the Good

Inasmuch as it stands approximately zero chance of ever becoming law, President Trump's budget proposal demands that we enumerate the angels dancing on the head of a pin. But there is good dance criticism and bad dance criticism. Something to keep in mind when considering such budget proposals is that a handful of programs account for almost the entirety of federal spending: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other health-care benefits, national defense, and interest on the debt. Social Security and medical benefits together account for more than half of all federal spending, while defense-related spending accounts for another fifth ...