Last year’s winning idea for the second annual federal worker’s cost cutting contest (SAVE) was from A Department of Veterans Affairs employee. Scheduled for the fiscal 2012 budget, the suggestion will save a projected $14.5 million by 2014 by enabling patients to take medication and bandages home with them after being discharged.

Total spending for 2011 is projected to be close to $4,000 billion. $124,000 million ($124,000,000,000) is for the Department of Veterans Affairs. And, the most we could save was $14.5 million during a two year period–$7 million a year? 

The Economic Lesson

The federal budget is composed of mandatory and discretionary spending. Mandatory spending (required by law) for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security totals close to half of the budget. Then, if we add defense and interest that is due for money borrowed by the government, that takes us to more than 75% of all spending. Discretionary items cover a multitude of categories including agriculture, foreign affairs, justice, transportation, education, NASA and the EPA. You can see where this going. If we want to control the budget, suggestions for freezing discretionary items will have a minimal impact.