Presidential Terms and Federal Spending, 1980-1999
(By Fiscal Year, Percent of GDP)
(source: Economic and Budget Outlook, CBO, January 2000)
1976 1980 1988 1992 1999
Entitlements & Other Mandatory 10.9 10.7 10.1 11.5 10.7
Domestic Discretionary 4.5 4.7 3.1 3.4 3.1
Defense & International 5.6 5.4 6.1 5.2 3.2
Net Interest 1.5 1.9 3.0 3.2 2.5
By these numbers our most liberal president since
1976 has been . . . George H.W. Bush, with the
assistance of a Democratic Congress. If you go
by defense you have to give Clinton credit for
cutting more than anyone else.
One qualification to the above is that some of
Bush's 'mandatory' spending increase was the S&L
bailout.
It may be noted, Nathan, that the interest savings
under Clinton were not accompanied w/spending growth,
but the contrary. (The increase under Bush was
accompanied by spending increases as well.) This
casts some doubt on the theory that we will spend
more by spending less (i.e., paying down debt).
mbs
