Entitlements' unimpeded growth is boon to seniors
Entitlement programs thrive amid gridlock, shifting money from younger generations to older
FILE - In this April 8, 2013 file photo, copies of President Barack Obama's proposed federal budget plan for fiscal year 2014 are prepared for delivery at the U.S. Government Printing Office in Washington. With Congress increasingly unable to resolve budget disputes, federal programs on automatic pilot are consuming ever larger amounts of government resources. The trend helps older Americans, who receive the bulk of Social Security and Medicare benefits, at the expense of younger people. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal programs on automatic pilot are consuming ever larger amounts of government resources as Congress struggles to resolve budget disagreements.
The trend helps older Americans, who receive the bulk of Social Security and Medicare benefits.
This generational shift alarms policy advocates who say the United States is reducing vital investments in the future. That includes spending on education and scientific research.
Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid keep growing, largely untouched by Washington's budget battles.
Steady expansions of these nondiscretionary entitlement programs require no congressional action. So they flourish in times of political gridlock.
In 1962, 14 cents of every federal dollar not going to interest was spent on entitlement programs. The amount is 47 cents today. And it will reach 61 cents by 2030.
