In 2010, the Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives running on a platform of eliminating the deficit or at least drastically reducing it largely using spending cuts. Two problems face the Republicans. Entitlement spending grew to about 58 percent of the federal budget in 2010. If interest on the national debt is added, a little more than 65 percent of the budget is committed. The Republicans in their Pledge to America pledged not to cut Social Security, Medicare, or defense spending. If entitlements and defense spending are not to be cut, and interest on the national debt cannot be cut, then off-limits spending accounts for about nearly 75 percent of the budget. Entitlements will increase as the Baby Boomers retire and begin drawing Social Security and start enrolling in Medicare. The Democrats have also pledged to increase entitlements (on the Medicare prescription drug plan). The other problem is the enormous cost of dealing with the financial crisis in 2008 and the occurring recession. Dealing with these problems is estimated to result in about a $1 trillion increase in government spending – all on top of the current deficit.
Why does the automatic growth in entitlement spending complicate efforts to reduce federal government deficits?