how much of discretionary spending goes toward national defense?

About 45 to 47 percent of discretionary spending goes toward national defense. In fiscal years 2023 and 2024, defense spending accounted for roughly 45-47% of the total discretionary budget, with figures such as $806 billion in 2023 and $874 billion in 2024 for defense alone. This makes defense the largest single category of discretionary spending in the U.S. federal budget.