Entitlements

Entitlements, in political conversation, are government programs to which individuals are contractually entitled. In government budgets, entitlements include pensions, veteran benefits, social security, medicare, interest payments, etc.

The term entitlements is commonly used by conservatives as a euphemism. Conservatives have found that speaking of cutting "entitlements" is politically acceptable. Speaking of cutting benefits people have already paid for or earned is far less politically acceptable.