With the expansion of the social programs in America, is it feasible to think that the budget will ever be balanced?

The answer to this question is quite straightforward. The truth is that the US Federal Budget has been balanced only during a few years in the last decades.

Mandatory spending in social programs reduces the chances of reaching the balance in the short-term. Indeed, when we analyze the spending structure of the US Federal Budget, we find that around 1.3 trillion dollars are applied to Medicare and Medicaid programs. What is more, around 600 billion dollars are applied to other social programs (unemployment benefits, welfare programs, student loans, etc. All these programs are practically imposible to cut.

In consequence, around 40% of the US budget (4.8 trillion dollars for 2021) corresponds to social programs. As a result, the only way to balance the budget would be by reducing military spending sharply (it does not seem possible) and by increasing tax collections more than spending during the next years. However, a balanced budget does not seem easy to reach in the short-term.