Authorized by permanent law (e.g. Social Security). The President and Congress can change the law to change the level of spending on mandatory programs, but they are not required to.
Federal spending is either discretionary or mandatory. Mandatory spending is authorized by Congress by setting out eligibility or other criteria. Examples of mandatory spending include Social Security and interest payments on the debt.
Outlays generally not controllable through the congressional appropriation process. Mandatory amounts are budget authority or outlays that cannot be increased or decreased in a given year without a change in substantive law. Entitlement programs (e.g., food stamps, Medicare, veterans' pensions) are chief examples of mandatory programs, whereby Congress controls spending indirectly, by defining eligibility and setting benefit payment rules, rather than directly through the appropriation process. With regard to the federal-aid highway program, mandatory spending refers to outlays resulting from obligations of contract authority programs not subject to annual obligation limitations, such as Minimum Allocation, Emergency Relief, and Demonstration Project spending.
Refers to automatic spending or money not subject to the appropriations process, such as entitlement programs or interest on the national debt.
Federal spending on entitlement programs and interest on the national debt.
The money the federal government spends automatically unless the President and Congress change the laws that govern it. Includes "entitlements," money or benefits such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Food Stamps provided directly to individuals because they meet some criteria of eligibility. Also includes interest on the national debt, which the government pays to individuals and institutions that buy savings bonds and other U.S. securities. Mandatory spending in the President's proposed fiscal 1997 budget accounts for 67 percent of all federal spending.
Spending controlled by laws other than annual appropriations acts (entitlement spending.)
Required spending that is not subject to the appropriations process. Examples of federal mandatory spending are Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and a portion of the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Congress can amend the level of spending on mandatory programs as part of the authorizing process.
Spending that is largely out of the control of the Congress. Primarily "entitlements" which are paid to people on a formula basis regardless of how much money is available.
Mandatory spending is authorized by permanent law. An example is Social Security. The president and Congress can change the law to change the level of spending on mandatory programs, but they don't have to.
Spending (budget authority and outlays) controlled by laws other than annual appropriations acts.
Another term for direct spending.
Made up mostly of entitlements. Examples include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, food stamps and federal retirement. Another major category of mandatory spending is the interest paid to holders of federal government bonds. Social Security and interest payments are permanently appropriated. And although budget authority for some entitlements is provided through the appropriations process, appropriators have little or no control over the money. Altogether, mandatory spending accounts for about two-thirds of all federal spending. 11