American Government / Unit 10 Gov 456 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Entitlements
Captions available
The idea
An entitlement guarantees benefits to members of a specific group — formula-based spending that flows without an annual vote.
In practice
Eligibility plus formula equals payment; Congress does not re-decide it each year.
Where people slip
Entitlement spending is called mandatory because existing law, not the annual budget, commands it.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for American Government