Build A Better Budget

1. Revenue

$3.531 Trillion

Consolidate the current six income tax brackets in two brackets of 10 and 25 percent, which would cut taxes for the top earners, repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax and reduce the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent.

$3.654 Trillion

Permanently extend the Bush-era tax cuts for individuals of all income levels.

$3.803 Trillion

End the Bush tax cuts for individuals making over $200,000 per year and families making more than $250,000 annually; tax corporations at the full 35% rate.

$3.933 Trillion

Add this amount by ending Bush tax cuts for individuals making over $200,000 per year and families making more than $250,000 annually; create five millionaire and billionaire tax rates of between 45 and 49 percent.

2. Social Security, Medicare &
Medicaid

$1595.38 Billion

Convert Medicaid to a block grant program; let future retirees choose between traditional Medicare and premium support for private health insurance.

$1635.41 Billion

Provide sufficient funds to avoid the 28 percent reduction in Medicare physician payments scheduled for this year. Retain current Social Security benefit rates and retirement age.

$1630.19 Billion

Generate savings in the Medicare program through administrative changes, including mandating efficiencies in private health insurance; expand Medicaid to provide coverage to all Americans earning up to 33 percent over the poverty line.

$1601.54 Billion

Adopt targeted Medicare and Medicaid fraud, waste, and abuse savings while maintaining all benefits; gradually increase the maximum income level subject to the Social Security payroll tax.

3. Military

$758.23 Billion

Provide funding sufficient for real growth in the Pentagon's annual base budget each year over the next decade; protects Pentagon spending from sequestration through cuts in non-defense mandatory programs

$753.84 Billion

Maintain current levels of Pentagon spending and war funding, adjusted for inflation.

$785.16 Billion

Continue funding the war in Afghanistan, the mission in Iraq, and decrease the Pentagon's "base" budget by 2.5 percent.

$779.02 Billion

End war funding after FY2013 and reduce annual Pentagon spending by reducing strategic capabilities, including Cold War-era nuclear weapons and infrastructure, conventional forces, procurement, and end strengths.

4. Education

$57.63 Billion

Reduce funding for assistance to states and communities, and cut support for college/university tuition assistance.

$89.91 Billion

Keep education funding the same.

$93.85 Billion

Increase funding by about 2 percent over current levels.

$101.98 Billion

Provide additional resources for a broad range of educational programs supporting K-12, post-secondary education as well as job training; target assistance to high-risk and low income students.

5. Health

$101 Billion

Repeal President Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

$102.8 Billion

Maintain current funding levels with increases to meet rising healthcare costs; continue implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

$97.32 Billion

Implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and promote preventive care programs with savings achieved by consolidating chronic care programs."

$116.73 Billion

Expand the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to offer a public option.

6. Science, Energy,
Environment & Agriculture

$79.94 Billion

Roll back energy and environmental regulations; reduce farmer price support payments and reform the government's crop insurance program to place more of the burden on agricultural producers.

$100.74 Billion

Maintain investment in research to cure diseases and invent new crops and technologies; enable the EPA to continue implementing rules to protect clean air and clean water.

$104.21 Billion

Increase funding for clean energy and cut fossil fuel subsidies; save money by reducing funding to states for clean water programs.

$126.06 Billion

Reinstate Superfund excise taxes to provide a dedicated source of funding for cleanup of hazardous waste and impose a tax on carbon emissions; reduce agricultural subsidies.

7. Income Security

$517.08 Billion

Promote private sector growth by reducing federal spending on programs like unemployment, welfare and food stamps.

$525.2 Billion

Maintain the social safety net.

$551.24 Billion

Extend unemployment benefits.

$573.42 Billion

Extend unemployment benefits; reduce the burden on states who've had to borrow from the federal government to pay unemployment benefits.

8. Law Enforcement

$54.28 Billion

Reduce total law enforcement spending including funding for first responders by roughly 2.5 percent, adjusted for inflation.

$65.48 Billion

Maintain current funding for local police and emergency responders.

$54.58 Billion

Slightly decrease overall funding while increasing funding for law enforcement, litigation, detention and prisons.

$71.91 Billion

Increase funding for state and local law enforcement assistance, violent crime reduction programs, and juvenile justice programs.

9. International Affairs

$51.38 Billion

Reduce total foreign assistance by roughly 10 percent, adjusted for inflation.

$69.99 Billion

Maintain but don't expand investment in the U.N., foreign aid and international development.

$69.82 Billion

Increase funding for economic support, democracy, and development assistance and create new programs to promote reforms in the Middle East and North Africa; reduce global health funding by focusing on proven, high-impact programs.

$76.99 Billion

Invest in foreign diplomacy and international aid to stabilize key regions of the world rather than use military intervention.

10. Investment in Local Jobs &
Communities

$60.3 Billion

Reduce the size of government as a percentage of the economy.

$95.75 Billion

Maintain investment in community development, job training and local services.

$98.68 Billion

Cut some services like the Community Development Block Grant program and invest in job creation through infrastructure improvements and job retraining.

$315.81 Billion

Significantly expand investment in jobs by increasing funding for transportation infrastructure, reduce the burden on states who've had to borrow from the federal government to pay unemployment benefits through lower interest rates and expanded federal coverage.

11. Your idea for a better budget

As we mentioned at the start of "Build a Better Budget" the options from which you chose were based on proposals that are actually out there and already part of the public debate. But you may have other suggestions. We welcome your ideas - add them right here:

1. Revenue

2. Social Security, Medicare &Medicaid

3. Military

4. Education

5. Health

6. Science, Energy,Environment & Agriculture

7. Income Security

8. Law Enforcement

9. International Affairs

10. Investment in Local Jobs &Communities

11. Your idea for a better budget

Revenue

Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid

Military

Education

Health

Science, Energy, Environment & Agriculture

Income Security

Law Enforcement

International Affairs

Investment in Local Jobs & Communities

2. Social Security, Medicare &
Medicaid

6. Science, Energy,
Environment & Agriculture

10. Investment in Local Jobs &
Communities