Entitlements and the Budget

Published: September 20, 2017

The United States faces a fiscal challenge unlike any in its history, driven entirely by spending on federal entitlement programs. The country is currently borrowing half a trillion dollars a year and is on pace to borrow a trillion dollars every year. Unless entitlement spending is restrained, every American will face higher taxes and lower standards of living.

Discussion Questions

1. Why would politicians create new entitlement programs and expand existing ones?
2. How can the entitlement reforms help our economy?
3. How should Social Security be reformed?
4. How should Medicare be reformed?

Additional Resources

• John Cogan’s chapter “Entitlements and the Budget” in Blueprint for America, available here.
• The High Cost of Good Intentions: A History of U.S. Federal Entitlement Programs by John Cogan, available here.
• You can find the rest of "Blueprint for America" here.