Describe the characteristics of entitlement programs. How are entitlements different from discretionary spending?

What will be an ideal response?

Answers will vary. Entitlement programs pay out benefits to persons who meet specified requirements. A special characteristic of entitlement programs is that they continue from year to year, regardless of whether Congress passes an annual funding measure. An entitlement continues until the government explicitly adopts a new law to change the benefits or otherwise alter the program. Further, Congress has no direct control over how much an entitlement program will cost in any particular year. It is usually possible to estimate the costs, but the actual amount of spending depends on how many eligible persons sign up for the benefits.?Because entitlements do not need to be explicitly renewed, they are different from discretionary spending. In a discretionary program, Congress establishes a binding annual budget for a government agency that the agency cannot exceed. Note that "discretionary" does not mean "unimportant." As an example, the nation's armed forces are funded through discretionary spending.