English: This chart compares discretionary spending (total, defense, and non-defense) under the CBO 2010 Budget Outlook and CBO 2013 Budget Outlooks.

Interpreting the chart

CBO publishes its Budget and Economic Outlook during the first quarter of each year and updates it mid-year. This chart compares discretionary spending (total, defense, and non-defense) in the February 2013 ^[1] and January 2010 ^[2] CBO Budget and Economic Outlook publications. The 2010 Outlook was before the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). The BCA contained the sequester. The key to the right of the diagram indicates the type of spending and the year indicates which Outlook is the source of the information. Some comparative statistics between the baselines in the two Outlooks:

• Total discretionary spending over the 2012-2020 period was $12.7 trillion in the 2010 Outlook and $11.2 trillion in the 2013 Outlook, a difference of $1.5 trillion.
• Total defense spending over the 2012-2020 period was $6.7 trillion in the 2010 Outlook and $5.7 trillion in the 2013 Outlook, a reduction of $1.0 trillion. This defense spending includes the "overseas contingency operations" amounts for Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Total non-defense discretionary spending over the 2012-2020 was $6.0 trillion in the 2010 outlook and $5.5 trillion in the 2013 Outlook, a reduction of $500 billion.

Other observations:

• The diagram shows how the 2013 Outlook has the Defense and Non-defense categories converging over time. They are virtually indistinguishable on the graph, with a total of only $139 billion difference over the period.

Notes:

• The January 2011 Outlook total discretionary spending was not significantly different from the 2010 Outlook. It was also prior to the August 2011 passage of the BCA.
• There are some mandatory accounts (e.g., Medicare) affected by the sequester that are outside the scope of this diagram. This just covers discretionary spending, not mandatory spending.