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The spending that’s negotiated between the President and Congress each year as part of the budget process (as opposed to mandatory spending). Discretionary spending is typically set by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and their various subcommittees through annual appropriations bills, with each bill corresponding to the jurisdiction of one of the subcommittees.
Discretionary spending in fiscal 2010 was $1.35 trillion, or 39 percent of total federal spending. More than half of that amount — $689 billion — was for national defense.
See all terms in the National Debt Glossary
Frequently Asked Questions: National Debt
- How did the national debt get to be so big?
- What's the difference between the debt and the deficit?
- Why can't the government just print more money to get out of debt?
- How much U.S. debt is owned by foreign countries?
See all questions about the national debt. >>
