Where Does the Money Go?

Does President Clinton propose spending more on defense or on health care? Is the mandatory spending bill higher for Social Security or interest on the national debt? Make your guesses here, then see where the money would really go under the proposed budget the White House sent to Congress for the 2001 fiscal year. Type your guesses and use your mouse to move to the next box. Click the arrows to adjust amounts up or down. The "Other" amount is supplied to get you started. Watch the Total box to see how many of the 100 percentage points you have used up. For definitions of the categories, click the titles.

Defense  %	Interest  %	Medicare  %	Medicaid  %
Social Security  %	Other Means-Tested Entitlements  %	Other 25% TOTAL Update

The figures used in this game are from President Clinton's proposed budget for the 2001 fiscal year, which was submitted to Congress Feb. 7, 2000. – Produced by Kira Marchenese for washingtonpost.com Definitions Defense -- This is the proposed spending on salaries of military and civilian employees, equipment, weapons and research and development. Back to game. Interest -- This is the interest paid on the accumulated national debt. Interest payments depend on market interest rates and how much the government has borrowed. Back to game. Medicaid -- Medicaid is a health plan for the poor and disabled, and it covers some services not covered by Medicare. It is run by the states, but the federal government picks up much of the cost. Back to game. Medicare -- Medicare is a health plan that covers about 40 million senior citizens and disabled people. It is a federal program paid for by a payroll tax. Back to game. Social Security -- This is the mandatory national retirement system. It is "pay-as-you-go," with a payroll tax feeding a special trust fund. Most people get more out than they pay in during their working years. Back to game. Other Means-Tested Entitlements -- Includes benefits for those with incomes below certian levels. Food Stamps, food aid to Puerto Rico, Supplemental Security Income, child nutrition programs, Earned Income Tax Credits and veterans' pensions are among these programs. Back to game. Other -- This includes everything left out elsewhere. Major expenses include such programs as education, transportation and the operation of the government. Back to game. © 2000 The Washington Post Company