When individuals fall on hard times or lose their jobs, the first thing they do is reduce spending, cut costs, and stop buying things they don't need. However, when politicians talk about reducing spending, they're not talking about the same thing; they call it "baseline budgeting." According to Citizens Against Government Waste, "In reality, baseline budgeting is one of the most sinister ways that politicians claim to cut spending when they are actually increasing spending.
For example, if an agency's budget is projected to grow by $100 million, but only grows by $75 million, according to baseline budgeting, that agency sustained a $25 million cut. That is analogous to a person who expects to gain 100 pounds, only gaining 75 pounds, and taking credit for losing 25 pounds.
