The non-defense discretionary spending rose at an annual average of 2.3 percent during the four years I was Speaker.

In just the last two years, non-defense discretionary spending has increased by over 80 percent.

The savings would have exceeded $70 billion over five years -about half of all non-defense spending cuts in the budget reduction plan.

There is no imaginable way to save $173 billion - this year's deficit - out of the $500 billion in non-defense spending.

Those caps are tight - requiring non-defense spending to fall, after accounting for inflation, by a few billion.

The $1.2 trillion in discretionary spending cuts include both defense and non-defense spending.

If entitlement caps aren't the answer, how about big hits at non-defense discretionary spending?

Under the caps, it slashed non-defense spending by 11 percent, or about $26 billion, this year.

That leaves only two places to find additional savings: non-defense discretionary spending and entitlement programs for the poor.

The bill eliminates 42 government programs and rolls back non-defense spending to approximately 2008 levels.