Education is an example of discretionary spending.Non defense discretionary spending includes a wide array of programs such as education,training,technology,housing,transportation,and foreign aid.
Medicare: Medicare provides healthcare cover for approx 40 million elderly and disabled Americans.Medicare accounts for an ever growing share of spending, because the number of Americans over the age of 65 in increasing.So Medicare is mandatory.
Social Security:The largest federal program is social security,which provides benefits to over 47 million retired and disabled workers and their families.It accounts for approx 21% of all federal spending and is required by law,so it is mandatory.
Medicaid::Medicaid is also mandatory and provides healthcare to approx 34 million Americans,including the poor,people with disabilities,and senior citizens in nursing home.Unlike Medicare,Medicaid is paid by partly by the states.