I just tried out Nathan Newman’s National Budget Simulator and, with a little tinkering, reduced the deficit by about 90%:
Old budget was $3747.36 billion
($2672.527 billion in spending, $1074.833 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
New budget is $3369.49 billion
($2633.78 billion in spending, $735.71 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
You have cut the deficit by $377.87 billion.
Your new deficit is $23.13 billion.
A summary of my choices is included below the fold.
Spending ($2633.78 billion: cut $38.74 billion)
$312.27 billion …. Military Spending
Cut $133.83 bil. from base of $446.105 bil.(-30%)
$55.93 billion ….. Iraq War and Afghanistan Operations
Cut $55.91 bil. from base of $111.851 bil.(-50%)
$115.48 billion …. Veterans & Retired Military Pensions and Services (No Change)
$34.75 billion ….. International Affairs
Increased $3.16 bil. from base of $31.590 bil.( 10%)
$26.36 billion ….. General Science, Space, and Technology
Increased $2.39 bil. from base of $23.967 bil.( 10%)
$2.55 billion …… Non-Defense Energy Spending
Increased $0.43 bil. from base of $2.121 bil.( 20%)
$40.51 billion ….. Natural Resources and Environment
Increased $9.35 bil. from base of $31.163 bil.( 30%)
$18.21 billion ….. Agriculture
Cut $7.8 bil. from base of $26.020 bil.(-30%)
$84.81 billion ….. Transportation
Increased $14.14 bil. from base of $70.673 bil.( 20%)
$19.1 billion …… Community and Regional Development (No Change)
$128.14 billion …. Education
Increased $64.07 bil. from base of $64.068 bil.( 100%)
$47.81 billion ….. Training, Labor and Unemployment Programs (No Change)
$303.98 billion …. Non-Medicare Health Spending
Increased $50.66 bil. from base of $253.320 bil.( 20%)
$345.75 billion …. Medicare (No Change)
$71.94 billion ….. Civilian Retirement (Social Security excluded) (No Change)
$227.45 billion …. Aid to Low-Income Families
Increased $20.68 bil. from base of $206.773 bil.( 10%)
$25.62 billion ….. General Family Support (No Change)
$6.82 billion …… Commerce and Housing Loan Programs (No Change)
$544.82 billion …. Social Security (No Change)
$38.79 billion ….. Administration of Justice
Cut $4.3 bil. from base of $43.099 bil.(-10%)
$15.98 billion ….. General Government Administration
Cut $1.76 bil. from base of $17.754 bil.(-10%)
$211.08 billion …. Net Interest (No Change)
$-44.37 billion …. Undistributed Offsetting Receipts and Allowance (No Change)
Tax Expenditures ($735.71 billion: cut $339.11 billion)
$0 billion ……… 2001 and 2003 Tax Cuts
Cut $294.59 bil. from base of $294.6 bil.(-100%)
$18.11 billion ….. Corporate Tax Breaks
Cut $42.24 bil. from base of $60.360 bil.(-70%)
$86.71 billion ….. Personal Business and Investment Benefits (No Change)
$168.47 billion …. Pension and Retirement Tax Benefits (No Change)
$155.09 billion …. Health Insurance Tax Benefits
Increased $14.1 bil. from base of $140.990 bil.( 10%)
$147.34 billion …. Housing Tax Benefits
Cut $16.36 bil. from base of $163.710 bil.(-10%)
$159.99 billion …. Other Individual Deductions and Expenditures (No Change)