Historically unprecedented increases in Medicare/Medicaid. Massive increases in Social Security. Across the board increases in all other socialistic spending programs, designed to keep incumbents in office.
There's your three. The WOT is a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the budget (just in case that is the "one" you were talking about).
Ahhh...no, not quite Wyatt.
I think your missing the point, what you cite are budgeted costs as causes. The GAO takes Medicare and all those other goodies you mention into consideration. There may be slippage, there always is, but appropriations are made for those expenditures.
But when you are talking about increases in borrowing in excess of planned receipts, and unappropriated expenses, which triggers increases in Nat Debt...then one must look to "unbudgeted, unappropriated, expenditures" and how "governmental" accounting funds them, and thus Congress must borrow.
Nat. Gov. spending over the last three years has indeed increased in regard expense that lacked appropriation, which incidentally was for the WOT in 03 (not appropriated in '02 budget), and only partially appropriated in 03' for 04, due to how the budgetary process works for the Nat. Gov (the lag effect)...Expenses for the WOT have averaged about 350-400 billion a (YEAR)...what's 3X that Wyatt? (A drop in the bucket huh?) Well..it's money well spent.
Well, I agree, a trillion dollars over three years in regards to the size of our Economy (and Nat. Gov. Budget) is a drop in the Bucket.
As a side note, and in regard to what you cite as a cause, Congress has often robbed the Social Securtiy fund for appropriations...since as of now, it is fully funded....but projections have this going south in a couple of decades, thus congress will (unless benefits are cut or something else is changed)...will have to borrow for this with public debt at some point in the future.
Thanks, chief.