The rising federal deficit, which is driven entirely by spending growth, is out of control. Last year, for the first time ever, the federal government spent more on interest payments on debt, $950 billion, than it did on defense, $826 billion, which is a data point in a lamentable category of shocking but also inevitable.

Fraud and abuse have made Medicaid the fastest-growing federal spending program by far. It is long past time for Republicans to slow it, and they took a good first step in the House budget resolution passed last month.