---
title: "Write a bill. Face the Senate. — Balance the Budget"
description: "Read the budget, write a bill and watch 100 simulated senators vote on it. Free, with no sign-up."
url: "https://www.balance-the-budget.finance/play"
site: "Balance the Budget"
updated: "2026-11-10"
---

# Write a bill. Face the Senate. — Balance the Budget

RevenueRev $5.40T · SpendingSpend $7.40T · Deficit **$1.99T**

## Write your bill

0 / 2,000 words20 bills a day

Start from an example:

Tips

- Name the line and the amount. "Cut defense 5%" scores. "Cut waste" does not.
- Taxing something? Give a threshold: "1% surtax over $1 million."
- Say when it starts. Phase-ins score more realistically.
- Raise a rate and people adjust. Expect less than the math promises.
- Every senator has a red line. Scout them before you write.
- Stuck? Your results list the senators closest to yes.

### The budget, FY2026

Washington took in $5.40T and spent $7.40T. Your job is to close the gap.

Click a line to add it to your bill.

Revenue

$5.40T

Spending

$7.40T

- Individual income taxes
- Payroll taxes
- Corporate income taxes
- Customs
- Other revenue
- Social Security
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- Defense
- Net interest
- Veterans
- Income security
- Federal workforce
- Health
- Domestic programs

### Where the money goes

- Social Security22% · $1.67T
- Medicare14% · $1.04T
- Medicaid10% · $723B
- Defense13% · $958B
- Net interest16% · $1.16T
- Veterans6% · $429B
- Income security6% · $430B
- Federal workforce3% · $196B
- Health2% · $194B
- Domestic programs8% · $599B

One block = 1% of spending = about $74B.

Heads up: most people get an F.

### Budget lines

35 lines. Billions of dollars per year.

Line

Per year

Revenue

$2.45T

$394B

$1.34T

$405B

$65B

$382B

$173B

$95B

$30B

$65B

Spending

$1.67T

$1.04T

$723B

$958B

$1.16T

$429B

$100B

$62B

$160B

$38B

$70B

$118B

$78B

$90B

$19B

$85B

$95B

$95B

$45B

$45B

$55B

$50B

$85B

$50B

$79B

Sources

- U.S. Treasury, Monthly Treasury Statement, September 2026 (FY2026 receipts $5.40T, outlays $7.40T, deficit $1.99T)
- CBO, Monthly Budget Review, FY2026 (reported year-over-year changes by category)
- CBO, The Budget and Economic Outlook, February 2026 (baseline reflects Public Law 119-21, the 2025 reconciliation law)
- OMB, Historical Tables and the FY2026 Budget, for FY2025 actuals by function
- Builder-derived FY2026 level estimates: FY2025 actuals adjusted by CBO-reported FY2026 changes
- Sub-line splits of "everything else" and of the revenue categories are approximations drafted by Spark from public figures, to be reviewed by the builder