The White House also is seeking other budget process reforms, including reinstating the caps on “discretionary” spending for five years. Those caps, which expired in 2002, had been a main mechanism for holding down spending in a wide array of government programs in the 1990s. Similarly, the administration seeks a requirement that any increases in “mandatory” spending-including accounts such as retirement benefits-be offset by savings in other mandatory programs and that tax increases couldn’t be used to make up the difference. In addition, the administration wants to require a 60-vote hurdle in the Senate for legislation that would expand mandatory spending. Taken together, the provisions could make it more difficult to improve benefits and could put pressure on existing federal benefits if improvements in other types of benefits are sought. However, it’s unclear whether Congress will adopt any of the procedural recommendations.