The debt ceiling never goes down. The entitlement programs are the biggest driver of our debt. 51% of Medicare expendiutres come from the General Fund. And with 10,000 baby boomers retiring every day from now to 2030, these costs will balloon and consume by that time at least 20% of the total federal budget.
Right now, 100% of Federal revenues are used to pay Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and income security (unemployment, welfare, food stamps, housing assistance). EVERY DOLLAR the Federal Government receives from ALL sources just barely covers these programs alone.
The VA, DOD, EPA, OSHA, HUD, DHS, FBI, CIA, all the rest is paid for with borrowed dollars.
We simply cannot balance the budget WITHOUT addressing Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. It's impossible. They need to be cut and capped - that's the only way out of a Ponzi scheme.